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Russia to modernize Syria port, build railway across Syria and Iraq
[IsraelTimes] Russia is considering a slew of major commercial projects in Syria, a senior Russian official says.Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov says after meeting with Syrian  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... in Damascus that Russia will spend $500 million to modernize Syria’s commercial port of Tartus. Borisov says in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that the four-year modernization program envisages an overhaul of the old port in Tartus and the construction of a new one. He adds that there is also a plan to build a railway across Syria and Iraq that will link Syria’s Mediterranean coast with the Persian Gulf. Russia has a Soviet-era naval base in Tartus, the only such facility outside the former Soviet Union. In 2017, Moscow struck a deal with Assad’s government to extend its lease on Tartus for 49 years. The agreement allows Russia to keep up to 11 warships there, including nuclear-powered ones. Related: Tartus: 2019-09-11 Satellite images show US-pursued Iran tanker still off Syrian coast Tartus: 2019-06-13 Syria parliament okays Russian lease of Tartus port: State media Tartus: 2019-04-04 Iran’s Presence on Syrian Coast Angers Russia Posted by: trailing wife 2019-12-19 |
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