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Putin signs deal allowing air forces to stay in Syria for 49 years

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Russia’s president signs a law enabling the country’s air forces to remain in Syria for 49 years as part of a protocol to a 2015 agreement with the Damascus government.

The protocol was signed by Moscow and Damascus in January 2017, regulating issues related to the Air Forces’ deployment to the Syrian territory.

It was adopted by the Russian State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament, on July 14, and approved by the Senate five days later.

Vladimir Putin signed it on Thursday, RT cited a Kremlin statement as saying.

Enshrined in the protocol is an option enabling automatic extension of the arrangement for another 25 years.

The protocol also features Damascus’ agreement to provide the Russian air force with free land in its northwestern Latakia Province.

Russia has been using the Khmeimim Air Base there to carry out anti-terror operations since September 2015.

The Russian military has also been offering advisory support to Syria, helping the Arab nation make numerous gains in its battles on terrorists.

In March 2016, Moscow withdrew many of its forces from Syria, with Putin saying the goals of the anti-terrorist mission there had been “generally accomplished.”

Russia, however, said it would keep a military presence at the port of Tartus and at the Khmeimim airbase to monitor the situation and the implementation of truce deals.

Russia, Iraq call for closer economic, military cooperation

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Iraq RussiaRussian President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki have held a meeting, during which they underlined the need for the reinforcement of bilateral “economic” and “military-technical” relations.

The meeting took place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

Putin said that Russia and Iraq have set up “an intergovernmental commission” that is currently working “at full capacity.”

He added, however, that “a lot has yet to be done in terms of economic cooperation…, specifically military-technical cooperation. Russia is proactive in this area, and Iraq benefits from its assistance.”

Paying his third visit to Russia, Maliki said, “With every visit, we take yet another step toward the common goal of further improving our relations.”

Moscow and Baghdad have contacts in the energy, economic and the military-technical fields and are engaged in the implementation of a number of bilateral cooperation agreements, he noted.

Maliki also emphasized that Russia and Iraq “have very good potential for [further] cooperation, and our strategic choice is based on an understanding of the importance of the role of Russia in the region and Iraq.”

The Iraqi vice president further hailed Russia’s active role in the fight against terrorists operating in the region.

“Russia has made a tremendous contribution, in particular in Syria and Iraq, to prevent the disintegration of the region,” he said, warning that without Moscow, “the map of the region would have changed for the worse for us.”

Russia took an “honorable stance” when it agreed to the speedy delivery of weapons to Iraq after the rise of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in the Arab country, Maliki pointed out.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Shugaev, head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said that Putin and Maliki had “touched upon” the supply of Russian T-90 battle tanks to Baghdad during Tuesday’s meeting.

According to Russian media reports, the deal could exceed $1 billion.

On Monday, Maliki sat down with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Valentina.

During the meetings, the Iraqi official urged “substantial” Russian military and political presence in the terror-ravaged country, stressing that this would bring “balance” to the entire region.

Daesh unleashed its campaign of death and destruction in Iraq in 2014, seizing the northern city of Mosul and declaring it as its stronghold in the Middle Eastern country.

Iraqi army soldiers and allied volunteer fighters have been leading a major operation to rid the country of Takfiri elements. The Iraqi forces fully liberated Mosul earlier this month.

Armenian Government ratifies agreement on joint troops with Russia

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The Armenian Government approved the law on ratifying agreement on Joint Group of Forces between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation at a session on Thursday.

To remind, on July 14, the Russian State Duma ratified the above-mentioned agreement.

The agreement signed in Moscow on November 30 2016 determines the purpose, the procedure of formation, deployment and operation of the joint group of forces. The alliance is formed in the Caucasian Region of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, aimed at timely detecting the possible attacks, maintaining control over the two country’s land borders, as well as taking part in air-defense and information infrastructure protection operations.

Under the deal, the staff of the Joint Group of Forces will be determined by the Russian and Armenian Defense Ministries based on the joint analysis of the military-political situation, as well as the agreed conclusions.

The agreement’s validity period is five years with a possibility of further extension.

Russia: 73 satellites put into orbit in one launch

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Russia: 73 satellites put into orbit in one launchA Kanopouss observation satellite and 72 smaller satellites have been successfully orbited from the Baikonur cosmodrome (Kazakhstan), Russian space agency Roskosmos and the Glavkosmos research center have announced.

“On July 14th at 9:36 am (0636 GMT), a Soïouz-2.1A rocket successfully flew from the Baikonur cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) with a Kanopouss-V-IK Earth observation satellite and 72 satellites” Announced in a statement Roscosmos.

Cited by Russian news agencies, a spokesman for the Russian research center Glavkosmos, in charge of putting these satellites in orbit, then said “that the last of the mission’s satellites separated from the upper stage at 17:41 (14:41 GMT), welcoming the success of this mission.

The satellites were dropped on three different orbits by re-igniting the last stage of the Soyuz rocket after each drop. “The top floor Fregate of the Soyuz rocket has a unique propulsion system” allowing the success of the mission, “Roskosmos said in his statement.

“For the first time in the world, such a complex and important mission has been developed and implemented,” said Glavkosmos.

The Kanopouss satellite is a Russian Earth observation satellite used for the detection of forest fires or the updating of topographic maps. Of the 72 other satellites, there were Japanese, German or Canadian satellites, but also 62 CubeSat nanosatellites, developed in the United States.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Australia Suspends Syrian Airstrikes Over Russia, U.S. Tensions

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Australia Suspends Syria Air Strikes

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet at an air show. Australia’s decision to back out of the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Syria follows Russia’s warning that it would track American and coalition aircraft in the country as targets. PHOTO: IAN HITCHCOCK/GETTY IMAGES

By Ben Kesling

BAGHDAD—Australia has suspended air operations in Syria amid escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow after Russia threatened to track American and coalition aircraft in the war-torn country as targets.

“As a precautionary measure, Australian Defense Force strike operations into Syria have temporarily ceased,” a statement from the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The American ally’s decision to back out of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Syria comes hours after the U.S. shifted some of its own flight patterns in the country to minimize risks, following Russia’s warning on Monday that it would use air defense systems or Russian pilots to track flights west of the Euphrates.

The current tensions between the U.S. and Russia, which back opposite sides in the Syrian conflict but are also fighting Islamic State in the country, began Sunday when an American jet fighter shot down a Syrian regime warplane after it targeted U.S.-backed Syrian fighters who were leading the assault on Islamic State’s de facto capital, Raqqa.

Russia, allied with the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, responded to the U.S. strike with threats to cut official lines of communication that are meant to prevent midair mishaps and to treat U.S.-led coalition planes as “targets.” It, however, stopped short of threatening to shoot them down, giving some U.S. officials hope that the situation won’t worsen.

“ADF personnel are closely monitoring the air situation in Syria and a decision on the resumption of ADF air operations in Syria will be made in due course,” Australia’s defense ministry said in the statement. It will continue its mission in neighboring Iraq, the statement added.

The U.S.-led coalition has stepped up its operations to push Islamic State out of its strongholds in Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. Australia has deployed six warplanes, as well as an aerial tanker and an airstrike control aircraft, to the region to support the fight against the extremist group.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/australia-suspends-syria-air-strikes-over-russia-u-s-tensions-1497956784?mod=e2tw

Russia’s Defense Ministry suspends interaction with Pentagon over Syria

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Russia suspends interaction with Pentagon over Syria Russia’s Defense Ministry has suspended interaction with the Pentagon within the framework of the  bilateral memorandum across Syria, after the US  shot down Syrian warplane, RT reported quoting the Ministry.

On July 19, it halted cooperation in the framework of the Memorandum on the Prevention of Incidents and Ensuring Air Safety in Syria.

The ministry has demanded a thorough investigation by the US military command into the incident with the Syrian government military jet, with the results to be shared with the Russian side.

“In the areas of combat missions of Russian air fleet in Syrian skies, any airborne objects, including aircraft and unmanned vehicles of the [US-led] international coalition, located to the west of the Euphrates River, will be tracked by Russian ground and air defense forces as air targets,” the Russian Ministry of Defense stated.

Russian Warplanes Foil Islamic State Attack in Deir ez-Zor, Eliminate 180 Terrorists

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Russian Warplanes Foil islamic state Attack The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that the Russian warplanes have foiled a massive State Attack attack on the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor earlier in June.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian reconnaissance means recorded Daesh units preparation to break through the defenses of the Syrian government troops deployed in Deir ez-Zor.

“In the beginning of June, the Russian Armed Forces’ group in the Syrian Arab Republic recorded via UAVs the preparation of Daesh terrorist group’s units to break through the defensive lines of a garrison of the government troops blocked in the city of Deir ez-Zor.”

Russian warplanes have eliminated two top Daesh field commanders and some 180 terrorists in Syria during aerial operations on June 6 and 8.

Moreover, the Russian Aerospace Forces also destroyed 16 units of terrorists’ automotive and armored vehicles and an ammunition depot during the air raids.

“As a result of preemptive airstrikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces on June 6 and 8, [two] Daesh field commanders… were eliminated. Moreover, about 180 militants, 16 automotive vehicles and armored vehicles, one artillery gun, four command points,and an arms and ammunition depot were destroyed.”

Syrian government forces control over a half of Deir ez-Zor, which has been besieged by Daesh militants over three years. The Syrian forces continue an offensive aimed at lifting the siege and creating supply lines for the city’s residents. Presently, the only means of delivering supplies to the city is by air.

Source: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706171054724395-russia-daesh-commanders/

ISIS leader al-Baghdadi reportedly killed in Russia-led airstrike – MoD

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Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi south of RaqqaOn Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian aerospace forces’ strike conducted on May 28 allegedly killed Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi south of Raqqa. The report is yet to be confirmed.

The Daesh leader may have been alongside other leaders of the extremist group and 330 terrorists killed in the airstrike.

The ministry said its Su-34 strike aircraft and Su-35 multirole fighter attacked a so-called  Daesh military council south of Raqqa in northern Syria on May 28.

“According to information that is checked through various channels, Daesh leader Ibrahim Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed as a result of the strike, was also present at the meeting,” the ministry said in a statement.

“As a result of the Su-35 and Su-34 airstrikes, high-ranking commanders of the terrorist groups who were part of the so-called IS military council, as well as about 30 mid-level field commanders and up to 300 militants of their personal security, have been killed,” the statement read.

The Russian Defense Ministry obtained information about the upcoming “military council” in late-May. The meeting was planned to discuss an exit plan from the Daesh stronghold of Raqqa through the “southern corridor.”

Later in the day, the US-led coalition said that it could not confirm the death of Baghdadi, but noted it would welcome the news if confirmed.

“There have been several past claims of this kind that have been proven false and we have seen no definitive proof that this report is true either,” a coalition spokesperson told Sputnik. “However, the Coalition and the global community would welcome the news of al-Baghdadi’s demise.”

Al-Baghdadi appeared in the media for the first time in 2014 when he declared the creation of a caliphate in the Middle East. Since then, there have been several reports of his death, none of which were confirmed though. On Sunday, the Syrian state television reported that Baghdadi was presumably killed as a result of US strikes in Raqqa.

‘Severe Blow’ to Terrorists

The alleged death of al-Baghdadi could help facilitate the liberation of Raqqa, the de facto capital of Daesh, according to Russian Senator Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the Council of the Federation Committee on Defense and Security.

“Ultimately, this will help solve the task of freeing Raqqa,” Ozerov toldSputnik.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry: Russia to supply arms worth $200 million on time

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Russia to supply armsYEREVAN. – Deadlines of Russia’s arms supply to Armenia at the expense of Russia’s export loan amounting to $200 million have not been violated, head of the Defense Policy Department of the Defense Ministry Levon Ayvazyan told reporters on Tuesday.

“Of course, many types of arms have already been imported to Armenia. We will show the weapons that are already in Armenia at the first opportunity,” Ayvazyan has noted.

Last year Russian Government and Armenian authorities signed an agreement on providing export loan in the amount of $200 million for ten years on a deferred basis till the beginning of 2018.

According to the Agreement Annex, Armenia purchases from Russia “Smerch” multiple rocket launcher with its ammunition, “Igla-S” air defense system, Autabase-M ground-based communication surveillance system, TOS-1A multiple rocket launcher with transloaders, 9M113M guided projectile, RPG-26 grenade launcher, Dragunov sniper  rifles,  combat car “Tiger,”  engineer assets and communication gears.

Breaking News: The WAR of the words Just Started between U.S. and Russia over Chemical Weapon

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President Trump at a meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Tuesday. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The White House on Tuesday accused the Russian government of engaging in a cover-up of the chemical weapons attack last week by Syrian forces that prompted American airstrikes, saying that United States intelligence and numerous contemporaneous reports confirmed that the Syrians used sarin gas on their own people.

In a declassified four-page report that details United States intelligence on the chemical weapons attack, the White House asserted that the Syrian and Russian governments have sought to confuse the world community about the assault through disinformation and “false narratives.”

Senior White House officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the government’s view, said Russia’s goal was to cover up Syrian regime culpability.

The officials said they could not comment on the possibility that the Russian government knew in advance of Syria’s plan to carry out the chemical weapons attack, or of a subsequent attack on a hospital that was treating victims.

But one official said that, given the history of close cooperation between the Syrian and Russian militaries, Moscow must answer for the attacks. Pentagon officials have said that Russian personnel were at the Syrian base used to launch the chemical weapons attack.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/world/middleeast/russia-syria-chemical-weapons-white-house.html?emc=edit_na_20170411&nl=breaking-news&nlid=49769097&ref=cta&_r=0