Russian warships to visit Syrian port of TartusAugust 3, 2012 - 17:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Three large Russian landing ships carrying hundreds of marines will soon visit the port of Tartus in war-torn Syria, the Russian military says, according to BBC News. The ships, each with up to 120 marines on board, will spend a few days in the port, the general staff source said. They will take on fresh supplies of food and water. Russia has a small naval maintenance facility at Tartus. It is not clear whether some marines will stay in Tartus. Russia supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The source did not give details of their military equipment - a sensitive issue, because Mr Assad relies on Russian military hardware for his armed forces. Russian officials have dismissed speculation that their military could intervene in the conflict to bolster Mr Assad's regime. Heavy fighting is raging in the city of Aleppo, where Syrian government forces are trying to oust Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels. The three Russian amphibious assault ships are in the Mediterranean now. After calling in at Tartus they will head for the Bosphorus and the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, the unnamed source told reporters on Friday. The ships, part of Russia's Northern Fleet, are the Alexander Otrakovsky, the Georgy Pobedonosets and the Kondopoga. The source, quoted by Interfax news agency, said one would anchor off Tartus and the other two would use a floating dock, because the port facilities were limited. There is speculation that Russia may begin evacuating its nationals from Syria and deploy marines to protect personnel and equipment, as the violence intensifies. Some 30,000 Russian citizens live in Syria, according to reports in the New York Times and Financial Times. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |