Russia Establishes Contacts With Syria's HTS Political Committee

"Contact has been established, of course, with the political committee [of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham], which is now working in Damascus in a hotel. They are meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps. Representatives of our embassy met with them," Bogdanov told reporters.

Issues of ensuring the security of the Russian diplomatic mission and Russian citizens on the territory of Syria were discussed, the Russian deputy foreign minister said, adding that Russia counts on the HTS leadership to fulfill all security promises.

Russia is in contact with Israel on the situation in Syria, Bogdanov added.

Russia expects its military bases in Syria to remain in place, they play an important role in the fight against terrorism, Bogdanov stressed.

"I think there is general agreement that the fight against terrorism and the remnants of IS [banned in Russia] is not over, it requires collective efforts. In this regard, our presence played an important role in the context of the fight against international terrorism," Bogdanov told reporters.