TARTUS (Syria) (Pakistan Point news / Sputnik - 17th December, 2019) The Russian and Syrian naval forces are starting joint drills in the Mediterranean on Tuesday, Rear Admiral Alexander Yuldashev, the commander of the military exercises, says.
"Tactical groups of ships of the Russian Navy and the SAR [Syrian Arab Republic] Navy at sea are ... conducting joint maneuvers. On the shore, security and defense units will work out issues of combating unmanned aerial vehicles, combating illegal armed groups, and will also work out issues of localizing and eliminating the consequences of using weapons against facilities in the port of Tartus," Yuldashev said on Tuesday.
According to Yuldashev, the drills are being organized in order to boost cooperation between the Russian and Syrian forces, which will facilitate the fight against international terrorism.
Russian aircraft from the Hmeimim airbase in Syria will also take part in the drills.
The Russian Tartus base is key in ensuring supplies to the Russian forces based in Syria.
