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July 28th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda “I am not the one to issue orders: We have the defense minister [for that],” state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying in an interview with Ekho Moskvy Radio on Saturday.
He added, “If we have to evacuate the personnel that are currently deployed there, we certainly will.”
Chirkov stressed that an order by the commander in chief of the Russian Armed Forces (the president) and Russia’s top political leadership was required for that.
The Tartus base is used for repair and refueling of Russian military vessels in the Mediterranean. It is reportedly manned by some 50 Russian sailors and officers.
The base was first established in the 1970s as part of the Soviet Union’s effort to contain growing Israeli influence in the Middle East.
The Tartus base suffered from neglect in the 1990s, but Moscow decided to beef up its military presence in the region in 2008, which meant more investment in the naval base.
In August 2010, then commander of the Russian Navy Vladimir Vysotsky said the base would be upgraded to service high-tonnage ships, including aircraft carriers.
On July 26, Vice Admiral Chirkov told the media that Russia intends to preserve its naval base in Tartus.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011.
While the West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of the killings, Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
MP/JR/IS
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