Damascus: Syria and Russia have reached an agreement on the future of two strategically important Russian military sites on Syria’s Mediterranean coast after 18 months of negotiations.
Under the memorandum of understanding, Syria will take control of civilian facilities at the Hmeimim air base and the commercial section of Tartous port, according to Syria’s Foreign Ministry and state news agency.
The agreement keeps military cooperation between the two countries in place while changing how the facilities will be managed.
Military cooperation continues
Under the new arrangement, the military sections of the two sites will be converted into joint Russia-Syria training and qualification centres.
The transition is expected to be completed within three months, marking a new phase in the relationship between Damascus and Moscow.
The agreement is significant because Hmeimim and Tartous have played an important role in Russia’s military presence in the Mediterranean and its operations connected to Syria.
Why the deal matters
The arrangement appears to balance Syria’s desire for greater control over strategic infrastructure with Russia’s interest in maintaining military cooperation and access to the region.
The transfer of civilian facilities to Syrian control could also give Damascus greater authority over important infrastructure and commercial activities along the Mediterranean coast.
At the same time, converting the military facilities into joint training centres allows Moscow and Damascus to retain defence cooperation without maintaining the previous arrangement unchanged.
The agreement follows 18 months of talks over Russia’s future presence in Syria and represents an important development in the evolving relationship between the two countries.
The three-month transition period will now determine how the new arrangement works in practice and how Russia’s military role in Syria develops under the revised framework.