"In Syria, we will have a permanent naval base in Tartus. The corresponding documents have been drafted. Currently they are in the process of inter-departmental coordination. The degree of readiness is rather high. We hope that we will soon ask you to ratify these documents," Pankov said at a meeting of the Federation Council’s international affairs committee.

Pankov earlier said the Russian Defense Ministry was considering the option of deploying military bases to the countries, where they were in the Soviet Union times.

The deputy chairman of the State Duma’s international affairs committee, Aleksey Chepa, has called for restoring Russian military bases in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. He came out with this initiative at a session of the lower house while discussing the issue of ratifying the Russian-Syrian agreement on the open-ended deployment of Russia’s air group in Syria.