Syria will gain control over two strategic facilities on the Mediterranean coast under a new agreement with Russia, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday. The facilities in question are the Hmeimim airbase and the commercial pier at the port of Tartus. Meanwhile, military facilities on these territories will function as joint Russian-Syrian training centers.
According to the new agreement between Damascus and Moscow, Syria will take control of the Hmeimim airbase and the commercial pier at the port of Tartus under civilian management. Military facilities on both territories will become “joint training” centers, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. The ministry described the new arrangements as a “reorganization of the Russian presence” along the Syrian coast.
Background of the agreement and change of power
The statement notes that this step is the most important event since the start of negotiations approximately a year and a half ago and paves the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations. Russia has not yet commented on the agreement.
Russia was the main political and military ally of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war from 2011 to 2024. In December 2024, Assad was overthrown by Islamist rebels led by the current interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, after which he left for Russia, where he was granted asylum.
Moscow did not intervene during the rapid advance of the rebels, which led to the overthrow of Assad, but provided refuge to the former Syrian leader and his family. After Assad’s overthrow, Russian troops remaining in Syria gradually left the country, except for military personnel stationed at the bases.
Strengthening Syria’s international ties
The new Syrian leadership has sought to maintain strong bilateral ties with Moscow. Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow twice after coming to power. The two Mediterranean bases were one of the key topics of these negotiations.
After Assad’s overthrow, Syria also strengthened ties with the United States, Europe, and neighboring Arab countries, which had severed relations with Damascus due to the suppression of protests during Assad’s time. Washington lifted most of the harsh sanctions against the country, and President Emmanuel Macron of France visited Syria in July. During the visit, he announced that France and Syria would appoint their ambassadors for the first time in 14 years.
Source: NBC
