Syria has announced an agreement with Moscow regarding the future of Russia’s two key military installations in the country, which had previously served as critical posts supporting ousted President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. According to a statement reported by Syria’s official SANA news agency on Sunday, the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base will be converted into joint training and capacity-building centers under a new framework designed to align with the mutual interests of both nations.
The memorandum of understanding, finalized following eighteen months of bilateral negotiations, establishes a three-month timeline to complete the transition, during which civilian components of both facilities will be transferred to Syrian authority.Russian officials have not yet issued a formal public statement regarding the finalized agreement, though both strategic sites had remained operational while talks were underway.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani inspected the sites on Sunday following the announcement, emphasizing that the move reinforces Syrian national sovereignty and central government oversight over all state territory and assets. Following the political shifts in Damascus, Russian President Vladimir Putin has engaged in diplomatic outreach with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to determine the status of Moscow’s strategic coastal footprint, which represents Russia’s primary military positions outside the former Soviet Union.
While Syria has indicated a willingness to maintain diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow, official authorities in Damascus continue to request the extradition of former president Assad, who remains in Russia following his departure from office.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/
