Syria and Russia agree to maintain Russian military bases on Syrian coast

Syria and Russia have finalized a memorandum of understanding that will allow Russia to continue operating its military bases on the Syrian Mediterranean coast. The agreement, signed recently, pertains to the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval facility, with a "redefinition" of their functions after approximately 18 months of negotiations. These talks began following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the memorandum initiates the "reorganization of the Russian presence on the Syrian coast." Under the new terms, Syria will assume management of the civilian sections of these facilities, including the Hmeimim airport and the commercial port in Tartus, integrating them into the national civil administration. This development concludes extensive negotiations between the new Syrian authorities and Russia, which intervened militarily in Syria in 2015 at Assad's request.

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This step is the most significant since the negotiations began approximately a year and a half ago, and it opens the door to a new stage in Syrian-Russian relations.

Both military bases are set to be transformed into "joint training and rehabilitation centers" within a maximum of three months. Syrian officials described the agreement as the "most significant step" since negotiations commenced, heralding a "new stage in Syrian-Russian relations." The General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport confirmed the Syrian government's reception of Latakia International Airport, adjacent to Hmeimim, viewing it as crucial for restoring Syrian airports to the national aviation system.

The Tartus naval base has been in use since the 1970s under a Soviet-Syrian agreement, while Hmeimim was established in 2015. A 2017 lease agreement granted Russia operational control for 49 years. Following Assad's ouster, these bases fell outside the new Syrian authorities' control, prompting the current negotiations to establish a new framework for military and diplomatic ties amid the ongoing transition in the country.

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This represents an important step in the process of recovery and commissioning of Syrian airports and their reintegration into the national civil aviation system.