Putin sends deal on deploying Russian aviation in Syria to State Duma

Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted to the State Duma for ratification a draft agreement with Syria on deployment of an aviation group of Russia’s Armed Forces on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

The agreement was signed by the Russian and Syrian defense ministries in Damascus on August 26, 2015.

The document says that "deployment of a Russian aviation group on the Syrian territory is in line with the aims of maintaining peace and stability in the region, is of defensive nature and is not directed against any other countries."

The agreement envisages deployment of the Russian aviation group on the Khmeymim air base with all infrastructure free of charge. The duration of the agreement is not limited, and one of the two sides can cancel the agreement by notifying another side in the written format, TASS reports.