Spotlight: Russian military pullout implies progress in Syrian crisis

The withdrawal of Russian military forces suggests real progress is being made toward a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis as negotiators meet in Geneva to facilitate a political transition in the country.

After a nearly six-month air campaign by the Russian armed forces in Syria, a cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States has largely taken root in the war-torn country since taking effect on Feb. 27. That has led Russian President Vladimir Putin to conclude that his objective in Syria has been generally fulfilled and thus ordered the withdrawal on Monday.

"Russia has achieved impressive military gains in Syria, which made national reconciliation and the cease-fire agreement between Damascus and the opposition groups possible," Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the Russian magazine National Defense, told Xinhua.

Past military actions underscored that peace has to be the basis for any political dialogue aimed at building up a future Syria, Korotchenko said

Earlier in the day, the first group of Russian military aircraft landed at an air base in the Voronezh region in the south of European Russia.Moscow will still maintain two key points of its military presence -- the Hmeimim air base and the naval base in the port city of Tartus -- to monitor the cease-fire between Assad's forces and his opponents.

"By maintaining personnel and equipment at these facilities, Russia will be able to control developments in Syria and, in case of necessity, make adjustments, including by military means," Korotchenko said.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the Russian reconciliation center at the Hmeimim air base has been sharing information on the truce's implementation with the United States and a working group in Geneva.

In spite of the pullback, Russia said it would not stop fighting the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups in Syria as it still has sufficient military capabilities there.

Efforts by international mediators have given a very strong impetus to the ongoing peace talks in Geneva.

A completely new development is taking place in Syria, as the most influential militant leaders, including those of the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups, have stopped fighting and are joining discussions about the future of Syria, said Korotchenko.

Peskov said earlier in the day that Russia's pullback of its forces would help move the peace process in the right direction.

Korotchenko shared this view, adding that dialogue must proceed minus the ultimatums typical of some Syrian opposition members and in a manner that is more constructive.

He believes that the withdrawal could also mitigate the strained ties between Moscow and the West since the Ukrainian crisis erupted in 2014.

"It shows the process of peaceful settlement has been recognized by an absolute majority of political players, including Russia and the West, as the only way out of the Syrian crisis," he said.

Korotchenko added that Russia would be ready to interact with the West and with the United States, especially in fighting terrorism, as this is a general problem that calls for all countries -- regardless of their political preferences -- to unite. Endi