Open-ended agreement on Russian aviation's deployment in Latakia standard, such documents previously confidential - expert
MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax) - Former head of the Russian Defense Ministry's International Legal Department, Lt. Gen. Yevgeny Buzhinsky, said there is nothing extraordinary about the publishing of a Russian-Syrian agreement on the deployment of the Russian aviation group in Latakia. He added that such documents used to be classified.
The agreement between Russia and the Syrian Arab Republic on the deployment of the Russian aviation group for the indefinite period on gratis terms at the Hmeimim airport in the Latakia province dated August 26, 2015, was published on the official legal information portal on Thursday.
"This is a normal document regarding the deployment of our group in the territory of a country involved in hostilities," Buzhinsky told Interfax-AVN on Friday in his commentary on the publication of that document.
"The Russian Defense Ministry did not publish such documents in the past. They are confidential. I do not know why this agreement [was] released. Probably, Russian laws have been changed," the expert said.
"I do not see anything unusual about this agreement. The provision saying that Damascus pledges to settle any claims from third persons in case of damage done by the operation of Russian aircraft in Syria is absolutely normal. This is always done, for instance, by the Americans, especially if a base does not operate in the peace time. This is a normal situation for a military conflict. For instance, if a Russian bomber accidentally drop a bomb on a residential building, a claim will be lodged against the Syrian government, not Russia," Buzhinsky said.
