We have to remember that the Russian assets in Syria originated with the massive intervention by the Russian air force killing a lot of the people whose parties are currently related to the government. They used to be much more widespread across Syria. They are now clustered in two areas.
It's a genuine puzzlement to me, sir, that somehow this remnant of Russian influence has not been expunged, either by the government itself or by pressure from America. In this case, they could so easily say, “If you want our support, close out that influence.”
This is a gateway into Africa, by the way, by Russian influence.
The possibility exists that a deal or an agreement of sorts has been arranged by the government itself to maintain those bases, because the co-operation of Russia and other areas is so important.
Again, I'm baffled as to why that hasn't been cleaned out.