The de facto government in Damascus announced yesterday, Sunday, that it had reached an agreement with Moscow regarding the future of the two Russian bases on Syrian territory, which Russia had used primarily to support former President Bashar al-Assad until his ouster in late 2024.
Russia was among former President Assad’s key allies during the 13 years of civil war in Syria, providing him, thanks to these bases, crucial air support to his forces and enabling him to remain in power.
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The military facilities at the port of Tartus and at the Hmeimim airbase, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, will be transformed into “joint training centers,” as part of “new arrangements that will guarantee mutual interests,” the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, according to the official SANA news agency.
The agreement, the result of negotiations that lasted a year and a half, sets “a deadline not to exceed three months for the completion of the process,” the agency further reported.
At the same time, civilian facilities at the two bases will be handed over by Moscow to the authorities in Damascus. The Kremlin did not immediately comment on this announcement.
Tartus and Hmeimim were Russia’s only forward military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and remained operational throughout the negotiations.
“Historic” Agreement
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in 2024, following a lightning-fast advance by an alliance of Islamists and jihadists, dealt a serious blow to Moscow’s influence in the region.
President Vladimir Putin has since been making efforts to restore relations with the new de facto authorities in Damascus.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Sibani inspected yesterday the facilities and infrastructure included in the agreement, which he described as “historic,” according to SANA.
For its part, the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority reported, through its director Omar al-Hasri, that it has taken control of the Latakia International Airport, a civilian facility adjacent to the Hmeimim base, where operations were inextricably linked to the Russian military presence.
The agency will work toward its “restoration,” Mr. Hasri added, an “important” step toward reintegrating the country’s airports “into the national civil aviation system.”
Damascus has stated its willingness to cooperate with Moscow. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sara has visited Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin twice since taking office.
During the first visit, in January, Mr. Putin praised the progress in bilateral relations and commended his counterpart for his “efforts” to “restore Syria’s territorial integrity.”
Damascus has repeatedly demanded that Moscow extradite Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia with his wife after being ousted.
Earlier this year, the Kremlin also withdrew Russian forces that had been deployed at the Qamishli airport in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northeastern Syria.
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Source: APE-MPE
