Russia's options to send Syria military aid 'limited'

ANKARA

Even if Russia uses the Caspian Sea-Iran-Iraq route to send military aid to Syria, it runs the risk of confronting U.S.-led coalition jets over Iraq, experts say.

Russian news agency TASS reported Wednesday that Iran agreed to open its airspace for Russian planes carrying humanitarian cargo for Syria.

Mesut Hakki Casin, a professor of international relations at Ozyegin University, said Thursday that even if Russia got permission from Iran, it would run the risk of clashing with the U.S.

"The [anti-Daesh] coalition jets are continuing to fly over Iraq. I don’t know if Russia would enter into a conflict with them,” Casin said.

Mesut Ulker, national security and foreign policy expert, pointed out that the Iraqi administration would also likely face pressure from the U.S. against Russia’s demands.

According to the experts, Russia had limited options to supply military aid to the Bashar al-Assad led Syrian regime.

“Russia currently does not have many alternatives when it comes to airspace. The best option appears to be the Iran-Iraq route over the Caspian Sea [despite the risks],” Ulker said.

He said that Turkey, as a NATO member, did not approve of Russian arms shipment to Syria over its airspace, and would object to any such demand.

A Syrian passenger jet travelling from Moscow to Damascus was forced to land in Turkey on October 11, 2012 over suspicions that it was carrying military equipment.

The flight was intercepted by Turkish military jets and searched at the Ankara’s Esenboga Airport.

Both Syria and Russia had strongly reacted to the diversion, with Turkey’s Foreign Ministry saying that they would continue to investigate Syrian airliners flying over its airspace.

- Russian advisers in Syria

Russia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Russian military advisers were in Syria in accordance with “existing agreements and international law”.

“We have long been supplying Syria with arms and military equipment,” Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokeswoman said, adding that Russia’s military cooperation with Syria was “never a secret”.

“This is being done in accordance with existing contracts and international law,” she said.

In a similar vein, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Tuesday that their military advisers were training Syrian troops on the use of military technologies supplied to the country as part of a military cooperation agreement.

- Bulgaria and Greece

The Greek Foreign Ministry announced Monday that it received a request from the U.S. to close its airspace for Syria-bound Russian flights carrying humanitarian aid. Bulgaria also refused the same day to let Russia use its airspace to deliver aid.

Casin said that Bulgaria was a sovereign state, and could close its airspace to Russia. “Not only the EU but NATO will also intervene, and put pressure on Greece to close its airspace to Russian flights,” he said.

Ukraine followed suit Thursday, and closed its airspace to Syria-bound Russian planes.

"Ukrainian airspace is totally closed to these planes, while the Russian planes flying to Syria over international waters will from now on be closely monitored," Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a press conference in Slovakia.