Syria and Russia reach deal on future of Moscow's military bases

Syria has announced an agreement with Moscow concerning the fate of Russia's two military bases within the country. The Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base, Russia's only official military installations outside the former Soviet Union, are set to be transformed into "joint training and capacity-building centres."

The deal, formalized through a memorandum of understanding after 18 months of negotiations, aims to establish new arrangements that preserve mutual interests. According to Syria's official SANA news agency, the process of this transition is expected to be completed within a maximum of three months. During this interim period, civilian facilities at both bases will be transferred to the Syrian government.

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joint training and capacity-building centres, within new arrangements that preserve mutual interests

Russia has been a crucial ally to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad throughout Syria's 13-year conflict, providing vital military support that helped maintain his forces in power. Following Assad's ouster in 2024, President Vladimir Putin has been actively working to strengthen relations with the new Islamist authorities in Damascus to secure the future of these strategic bases.

Both the Hmeimim and Tartus bases have remained operational while the negotiations were underway. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited the sites on Sunday to inspect the facilities included in the memorandum. Syria has shown a willingness to cooperate with Moscow, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa meeting Putin twice in Moscow since assuming leadership. However, Damascus has consistently demanded Russia's extradition of Assad, who has been residing in Moscow with his wife since his removal from power.

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set a time limit of no more than three months to complete the process