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Russia to deploy navy in Mediterranean

MOSCOW: An increasingly assertive Russia has declared the Mediterranean a zone of its strategic interests and vowed to set up a permanent naval presence in the region.

“The operational reach of the [Russian Black Sea] fleet covers the Black Sea and the Mediterranean up to the Atlantic Ocean in the region where Europe, Asia and Africa converge,” Russia’s Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Masorin said.

“This entire zone of operation can by right be described as an area of Russia’s strategic interests.” He stressed the need for Russia to re-establish permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean “to advance its foreign policy priorities”.

“Permanent naval presence of Russia in the Mediterranean must be re-established by redeploying warships of the North Fleet and the Baltic Fleet,” Admiral Masorin said adding that the Black Sea Fleet may be strengthened with Russia’s only aircraft carrier currently based in the Arctic Ocean, Admiral Kuznetsov.

He was speaking a day after a Russian naval expedition planted a Russian flag on the seabed at the North Pole. Since last year, Russia has been deepening the Syrian port of Tartus, where the Russian Navy has had a maintenance station. Once the dredging is completed Tartus will be able to host any Russian warship.

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