Deputy Defense Minister, Hero of Russia, Colonel General Gennady Zhidko presented Lieutenant General Roman Berdnikov, commander of the Russian group of troops in Syria, with a personal standard. The ceremony took place at the Khmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia.
"All servicemen of the group of troops and I are aware of the responsibility and high trust placed in us by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces and the senior staff of the Russian Ministry of Defense," Roman Berdnikov told reporters after the presentation of the standard.
Immediately after that, the guard of honor held a traditional ceremony - demonstration of the standard. According to Gennady Zhidko, the personal standard is a badge of honor, which indicates fidelity to military duty and personal responsibility for the leadership of the subordinate unit.
The work plan of Gennady Zhidko in Syria includes participation in the meeting of the interdepartmental coordination headquarters of Russia and Syria on the restoration of peace, which takes place on Thursday. During the trip, the deputy minister also laid flowers at monuments to fallen pilots at the airbase and visited an orphanage in Latakia. The children were given school bags filled with sweets as New Year gifts.
A meeting of Russian and Syrian interagency coordination headquarters for the restoration of peaceful life opens Thursday in the Syrian capital, Damascus. At the previous meeting in November, members of the Russian interagency delegation met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and discussed the friendship treaty between Moscow and Damascus, as well as the restoration of peaceful life in the republic.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS