Damascus and Moscow have signed a memorandum of understanding on the future of Russian military installations in Syria, after eighteen months of negotiations. The bases at Hmeimim and Tartus will be converted into joint training centers and integrated into the Syrian civilian administration.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Russia concerning the future management of Russian military bases located on the country's Mediterranean coast. The agreement brings to a close eighteen months of negotiations between the two governments.
Specifically, Syria is resuming control of Hmeimim Airport and the commercial dock at the port of Tartus. Syrian state media quoted the Ministry of Defense as saying that these facilities will be transformed into "joint training and capacity-building centers, under new arrangements that safeguard mutual interests." Their gradual integration into the Syrian civil administration is expected to be completed within three months. Moscow has not yet publicly reacted to the announcement.
These two bases were Russia's only official military installations outside the former Soviet space. They enabled Moscow to provide decisive military support to Bashar al-Assad during the thirteen years of the Syrian civil war, which ended in 2024 with the fall of the regime.
Assad was overthrown in December 2024 and has since lived in exile in Moscow. His successor, Ahmad al-Sharaa, led an alliance of Islamist rebel groups against government forces. Since coming to power in January 2025, he has met with Vladimir Putin twice in the Russian capital. During their last meeting, the Russian president stated that "much has been accomplished to restore interstate relations."
The Syrian government is also demanding the extradition of former president Assad, who is still being hosted on Russian soil.
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