"NATO already agreed on augmenting its assurance measures for Turkey in December, with a tailored package that includes AWACS surveillance planes, air policing, maritime patrol aircraft, increased naval presence in the Mediterranean and other assets. So we have assets in the region and we are continuously assessing how to use them," the official said, answering a question on whether Russia's presence in Syria could provoke an augmentation of NATO's presence in the region.
On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik in an interview that the Syrian people are in favor of Russia retaining a military presence in the country into the future. Assad also added that the size of the Russian contingent deployed at the Hmeimim airbase should be proportionate to the size of the terrorist threat in Syria.
Earlier in March, Putin ordered the pullout of the bulk of the Russian contingent in Syria as the campaign's objectives had broadly been completed. Following Putin’s announcement of the withdrawal, Moscow said that some Russian military personnel would remain at the Hmeimim air base as well as the naval base at Tartus to observe the implementation of the ceasefire in Syria.
