By Andrew Osborn and Maxim Rodionov
(Reuters) -Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow together with his household after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, a Kremlin supply instructed Russian information companies on Sunday, and a deal has been accomplished to make sure the security of Russian army bases.
Russia’s Overseas Ministry mentioned earlier that Assad had left Syria and given orders for a peaceable switch of energy, after insurgent fighters raced into Damascus unopposed on Sunday, ending practically six a long time of his household’s iron-fisted rule.
“Syrian President Assad of Syria and members of his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds,” the Interfax information company quoted the unnamed Kremlin supply as saying.
It cited the identical supply as saying Russia favoured a political resolution to the disaster in Syria, the place Moscow supported Assad in the course of the nation’s lengthy civil struggle.
The supply mentioned negotiations needs to be resumed underneath the auspices of the United Nations.
Syrian opposition leaders had agreed to ensure the security of Russian army bases and diplomatic establishments in Syria, the supply instructed information companies.
Moscow, a staunch backer of Assad whom it intervened to assist in 2015 in its largest Center East foray because the Soviet collapse, is scrambling to salvage its place with its geopolitical clout within the wider area and two strategically-important army bases in Syria on the road.
A deal to safe Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia province and its naval facility at Tartous on the coast would come as a reduction to Moscow after Russian struggle bloggers, a few of whom are near the Russian Defence Ministry, warned that the bases have been dangerously uncovered.
The Tartous facility is Russia’s solely Mediterranean restore and replenishment hub, and Moscow has used Syria as a staging publish to fly its army contractors out and in of Africa.
Dropping Tartous could be a severe blow to Russia’s capacity to challenge energy within the Center East, the Mediterranean and Africa, say Western army analysts.
DISAPPEARING FLAG
Earlier on Sunday, the Russian Overseas Ministry mentioned in a press release that the 2 army services had been placed on a state of excessive alert, however performed down an instantaneous danger to them.
“There is currently no serious threat to their security,” the ministry mentioned because it introduced Assad’s departure from workplace and from Syria.
“As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to resign from the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power,” it mentioned within the assertion.
“Russia did not participate in these negotiations.”
There have been unconfirmed media studies that Assad had been visiting Moscow, the place his elder son studied, when rebels reached Aleppo late final month, earlier than returning to Syria. The Kremlin declined to touch upon the matter on the time.
The Syrian flag was eliminated on Sunday from a pole outdoors the nation’s embassy in Moscow, Reuters reporters noticed. TASS quoted embassy workers as saying the embassy would function as regular on Monday.
The Overseas Ministry mentioned Moscow was alarmed by occasions in Syria.
“We urge all parties involved to refrain from the use of violence and to resolve all issues of governance through political means,” its assertion mentioned.
“In that regard, the Russian Federation is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition.”
It mentioned it was additionally doing all it may to make sure the security of Russian residents in Syria, whom the embassy on Friday suggested to depart the nation. The Russian Embassy in Damascus instructed the state TASS information company on Sunday that its workers have been “fine”.