Syrian President visited Russian airbase
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accompanied by the head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, General Valery Gerasimov, visited the Khmeimim base of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the Syrian province of Latakia.
Assad flew to the base aboard a Russian Su-35 fighter, as Syrian media photos show. This was a first for the Syrian President. Gerasimov, who is on a working visit to Syria, met Assad at the base.
The two discussed the coordination of the actions of Syrian government troops with the support of the aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces to fight international terrorist groups: the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra. They also addressed compliance with the ceasefire regime as part of the implementation of the Memorandum on the establishment of de-escalation zones in the Syrian Arab Republic.
During a short excursion to the air base, Assad got acquainted with the Russian Su-35 fighter, as well as with other modern weapons, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.