Port Tartus: Syria and Russia Agree on Mediterranean Bases

Russia and Syria have reached an agreement regarding the future of Russian military installations in the Syrian port city of Tartus and the Hmeimim airbase. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Syria will assume administrative control over the civilian facilities, including Hmeimim Airport and the commercial docks in Tartus.

The military components of these bases are slated to be repurposed into "joint training and rehabilitation centers" while safeguarding mutual interests. The transition is expected to be completed within three months. These bases represent Russia's primary military outposts in the Mediterranean and Middle East, and are its only foreign bases outside of former Soviet republics.

Discussions about the bases' future have been ongoing since the removal of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Assad, a close ally of Russia, fled to Moscow with his family after his ousting, and the new Syrian government has repeatedly called for his extradition.

Previously, Reuters reported that Russia intended to establish a commercial logistics hub at one of the Tartus piers. At that time, both sides indicated the hub would remain under Syrian control. Russia provided significant support to Assad's regime during the 14-year Syrian civil war, including airstrikes against jihadist-controlled areas.