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Bases reshaped
Syria and Russia reached a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 9 to reorganize Moscow’s presence on the Syrian coast, settling the future of Russian bases at Tartous and Hmeimim after about a year and a half of intensive negotiations.
“Syria and Russia reached a memorandum of understanding to settle the future of Russian bases at Tartous and Hmeimim”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Syria would take over management of civilian facilities, including Hmeimim Airport and the fourth commercial berth at Tartous Port, allowing them to be gradually integrated into Syria’s civilian administration.
Under the memorandum, Russian military bases would be repurposed into joint training and qualification centers, with the transition to be completed within three months.
SANA reported that the agreement follows negotiations led by Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and described the deal as the most significant development since negotiations began about 18 months ago.
The Reuters report said Russia’s naval facility at Tartous and Hmeimim air base have long been Moscow’s principal military footholds in the Mediterranean and Middle East, and their future had been the subject of negotiations with Syria’s new leadership since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.
Damascus asserts control
In Damascus, the agreement was framed as a shift in the nature of Russia’s military presence, with Syria’s Foreign Ministry saying the civilian parts of the two bases would be handed over to Damascus while military facilities would be converted into joint training and capacity-building centres.
Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto said the memorandum was being used to send “a clear message that the central government in Damascus is in control of all assets that belong to Syria and are part of Syrian territory,” while also affirming that “its national sovereignty is not up for negotiation.”
SANA quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base would be turned into “joint training and capacity-building centres” under new arrangements aimed at preserving mutual interests.
Al Jazeera reported that Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited the sites on Sunday “to inspect the facilities and installations included in the historic memorandum of understanding,” according to SANA.
The Reuters report added that Russia had yet to officially comment on the agreement, while Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs said Syria would take over commercial sites previously operated by Russia at Tartous port, including Pier No. 4 and its associated warehouses and facilities.
What changes next
The memorandum’s implementation is tied to a three-month deadline, after which the new arrangements are set to take effect and Syria’s civilian administration would absorb facilities designated for civilian use at Hmeimim Airport and the fourth commercial berth at Tartous Port.
“allowing them to be gradually integrated into the country's civilian administration”
Reuters reported that Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs said Syria would take over the commercial sites previously operated by Russia at Tartous port, including Pier No. 4 and its associated warehouses and facilities, and that operations would be subject to approval by the authority.
Al Jazeera said the memorandum sets a deadline of no more than three months to complete the transition, while civilian facilities at both bases will be handed over to Damascus in the meantime.
The Media Line described the transition as moving from permanent military bases to joint training and qualification facilities alongside Syria’s resumption of control over the civilian-use sections of Hmeimim and Tartus, while noting that the ministry did not disclose how many Russian personnel would remain.
Separately, the Reuters report placed the deal in the context of negotiations after Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024, and said the future of the two sites had been a subject of negotiations with Syria’s new leadership since then.
