Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the Damascus government is interested in maintaining the Russian presence in Syria.

Lavrov added in a televised interview: “We are interested in preserving everything that was launched – by the Soviet Union and after 2011-2014 – related to strengthening the national economy, industry, agriculture, and the energy sector. We want all this to continue, but naturally with adjustments reflecting the new situation. This also applies to our military bases.”

Lavrov referred to what Russian President Vladimir Putin has said on many occasions: “We will not stay if the Syrian government does not want us to… It seems that the Damascus government, along with several other countries in the region, is interested in our presence there.”

Meanwhile, in New York, the United Nations reported that tens of thousands of people in Syria have disappeared over the past fifty years under the rule of the Assad family, including during 14 years of civil war that began in 2011.

Carla Kintana, head of the Independent Institution for Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP), warned at a press conference held at the United Nations headquarters in New York that time is running out to find hundreds of thousands who disappeared during decades of brutality, repression, and enforced disappearances.

She said, “The missing persons crisis in Syria affects not only hundreds of thousands of families but the Syrian society as a whole, and addressing this issue requires mobilizing every available skill, resource, and capacity.”