Lavrov commented on reports about the withdrawal of Russian ships from a base in Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented on media reports during a forum in Doha on December 7 that Moscow had allegedly withdrawn ships from a naval base in the Syrian city of Tartus, noting that military exercises are now underway in the Mediterranean.

"There are military exercises going on in the Mediterranean. Maybe your satellite images mistook it for something else," Lavrov emphasized.

On the same day, Lavrov noted the importance of normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey. According to him, Russia will do everything possible to assist in this issue. The foreign minister noted that there are already ideas on how to ensure the unity of Syria's territories and the security of its borders.

Earlier, on November 30, Lavrov held telephone talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, during which they discussed the current situation in Syria. It was specified that the parties confirmed the need to coordinate joint actions to stabilize the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR). At that time, they also concluded that the provisions of the Astana format should be used in this case.