Russia to up Mediterranean presence? Press TV reports:
The Libyan president will discuss opening a Russian naval base in Libya during his three-day visit to Moscow, according to a newspaper.
“During these talks the colonel [Muammar Gaddafi] intends to raise the issue of opening a base for Russia’s navy in the Libyan port of Benghazi,” the business daily Kommersant quoted an unnamed source involved in preparing Gaddafi’s visit.
“In line with the Libyan leader’s plan, Russia’s military presence will become a guarantee of non-aggression from the United States which, despite numerous conciliatory gestures, is not in a hurry to embrace Colonel Gaddafi,” said the source on Thursday.
In 1986, US aircraft from Italy bombed Tripoli, Benghazi and the home of Gaddafi that killed over 40 people including his adopted baby daughter.
After 55 years, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Gaddafi in Libya last month in a move symbolizing the end of years of enmity.
Meanwhile, it seems Russia is going to double its military presence in the Mediterranean Sea after a vessel from its Black Sea fleet restored facilities at Syria’s port of Tartus for use by the Russian military.
Earlier reports also said that Gaddafi, starting his visit on Friday, would discuss buying advanced Russian weaponry such as Su-30 fighter planes worth over 2 billion dollars.
Libya has also hosted a Russian frigate sent to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
Gaddafi last visited Russia in 1985 before the breakup of the Soviet Union. Relations between Libya and Russia have warmed since current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited Libya in April 2008.
Russia should forget their plans of naval expansion. The financial crisis is hitting Russia and the oil prices are falling, so this is not the right time to spend money on something so expensive. Russia should concentrate mostly on their air defense, get prepared for small regional conflicts (like the recent one in South Ossetia) and strenghthen their naval power in their own seas (the Russian Black Sea fleet, for example, didn’t receive any new ship since the end of the USSR).
They just call it a naval base. In fact it will all about air defence. Russia, as Carlo mentioned, sure has no substantial naval forces to rival even Turks. But she still can manage to send a couple of frigates into Libya, set up a naval base and surround the area with her S300, and BUK’s. There is a rumour that Gasprom struck a deal with Gaddafi in which it will exclusively be buying all Libyan gas for a foreseeable future. A deal like that has to be supported by some defence commitment
BTW: There is a rumour that Iran is pondering an idea to invite the Russians to set up two naval bases in Iran. Soon Russia may run out of all her naval forces.
Cheers
Maybe she will rent from China? :) Cheers
Przemyslaw, what do you mean? The Chinese navy is smaller than the Russian.
@carlo
But they build a lot. I read – e.g. 3 subs a year, more than US.
:)