Russia rejects creating a new military base in Syria.

The Russian defence ministry rejected reports claiming the country is creating a new military base in Syria.

The ministry moved to quell speculations after the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said it had reached a deal with Moscow for a new military base in the north-west of the country.

Media reports also surfaced claiming that Russian forces were setting up a military base in Afrin in agreement with the YPG.

There are no plans to create new Russian military bases on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic

the defence ministry statement read yesterday.

The statement added that a section of its “reconciliation centre”, which Russia says helps negotiate local truces between the warring sides in Syria, was deployed near Afrin for the prevention of ceasefire violations.

The ministry said the move was taken according to an agreement between Russia and Turkey on monitoring the ceasefire.

“To prevent violations of the cessation of hostilities, one of the branches of the Russian centre for reconciliation of warring sides [in Syria] was deployed in the province of Aleppo near the Afrin populated area in the contact line between Kurdish militia units and Turkey-controlled units of the Free Syrian Army.”

Russia has a naval base in the Syrian coastal city of Tartus. The facility was established during the Cold War to support the Soviet navy fleet in the Mediterranean. Political analysts cite Moscow’s need for unhindered access to the sea as one of the main reasons for its support for Bashar Al-Assad regime.