Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree requiring that the ministries of defense and foreign affairs in his government conduct negotiations with Damascus to acquire additional land and water installations and sites, with the aim of expanding the two Russian military bases in Syria.
The Russian Interfax news agency said that Putin wants to hand over the Russian military additional facilities and expand their maritime influence in Syria.
And the decree issued today, Friday, is an additional protocol to the agreement signed between Russia and the Syrian regime, which allows the deployment of Russian ground and air forces and military installations on Syrian soil, and signed between the two sides in 2015.
The decree provides for Russia to physically expand the Hmeimim Air Force and Tartous Naval bases in Lattakia countryside, and to send more troops, weapons and equipment to the two bases.
Russia has two permanent military installations in Syria, the Hmeimim base that is used to launch air strikes on areas of armed opposition control, and another base in Tartus on the Mediterranean.