Syria, Russia agree to end military use of key Mediterranean bases
Syria and Russia have agreed to end Moscow’s use of two strategic Mediterranean bases as military outposts, Syria's foreign ministry said Sunday. Under the deal, Damascus will take control of the Hmeimem air base and part of Tartous port, while the remaining military facilities will be converted into joint training centres.
Issued on: 09/08/2026 -
Syria and Russia have agreed to end Moscow’s use of two strategic Mediterranean bases as military outposts, Syria's foreign ministry said Sunday. Under the deal, Damascus will take control of the Hmeimem air base and part of Tartous port, while the remaining military facilities will be converted into joint training centres.
Issued on: 09/08/2026 -
By: FRANCE 24
A satellite image shows a Russian naval facility, in Tartous, Syria in this handout picture taken on December 6, 2024. 2024. © via Reuters
Syria and Russia have reached an agreement over the future of two strategic Mediterranean coastal bases that ultimately ends their use a military outposts for Moscow, Syria's Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
Russia was the top political and military ally of ousted President Bashar Assad between 2011 and 2024 when Syria fought against an Islamist-led armed opposition of which current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was a prominent militant leader.
Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base near Latakia and the Tartous naval base were key Russian outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.
Under the agreement, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become “joint training and qualification centers”, the foreign ministry said.
The new arrangements represent a “reorganising of the Russian presence” along Syria's coast, the ministry said.
“This move marks the most significant development since negotiations began approximately a year and a half ago, paving the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations,” a statement read.
Russia did not immediately comment on the agreement.
Moscow did not interfere during the lightning insurgency that led to the overthrow of Assad, but it did provide the longtime Syrian leader and his family asylum. After Assad's ouster, Russian troops remaining in Syria gradually left the country.
Syria's new leadership has aimed to maintain strong bilateral ties with Moscow. Al-Sharaa has visited President Vladimir Putin in Moscow twice since taking power, with the two Mediterranean bases being key points of discussion.
Since Assad's ouster, Syria has also bolstered its ties with the United States, Europe, and neighbouring Arab countries that had cut ties with Damascus during Assad's crackdown on protests. Washington has lifted most of its crippling sanctions on the country, and French President Emmanuel Macron made a visit to Syria in July during which he announced that the two countries would appoint respective ambassadors for the first time in 14 years.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
Syria and Russia have reached an agreement over the future of two strategic Mediterranean coastal bases that ultimately ends their use a military outposts for Moscow, Syria's Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
Russia was the top political and military ally of ousted President Bashar Assad between 2011 and 2024 when Syria fought against an Islamist-led armed opposition of which current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was a prominent militant leader.
Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base near Latakia and the Tartous naval base were key Russian outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.
Under the agreement, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become “joint training and qualification centers”, the foreign ministry said.
The new arrangements represent a “reorganising of the Russian presence” along Syria's coast, the ministry said.
“This move marks the most significant development since negotiations began approximately a year and a half ago, paving the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations,” a statement read.
Russia did not immediately comment on the agreement.
Moscow did not interfere during the lightning insurgency that led to the overthrow of Assad, but it did provide the longtime Syrian leader and his family asylum. After Assad's ouster, Russian troops remaining in Syria gradually left the country.
Syria's new leadership has aimed to maintain strong bilateral ties with Moscow. Al-Sharaa has visited President Vladimir Putin in Moscow twice since taking power, with the two Mediterranean bases being key points of discussion.
Since Assad's ouster, Syria has also bolstered its ties with the United States, Europe, and neighbouring Arab countries that had cut ties with Damascus during Assad's crackdown on protests. Washington has lifted most of its crippling sanctions on the country, and French President Emmanuel Macron made a visit to Syria in July during which he announced that the two countries would appoint respective ambassadors for the first time in 14 years.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
Damascus (AFP) – Syria said on Sunday that it reached a deal with Russia on the fate of its two bases in the country, which Moscow once used to provide military support to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war.
Issued on: 10/08/2026 - RFI
A portrait of Russia's President Vladimir Putin hangs above the military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in western Syria in 2024 © AAREF WATAD / AFP/File
Russia was a key Assad ally during the 13-year conflict, helping to keep the former leader in power, and his ouster in 2024 dealt a major blow to its influence in the region.
President Vladimir Putin has since worked to build relations with the new Islamist authorities in Damascus to secure the future of Russia's only two official military bases outside the former Soviet Union.
Syria's official SANA news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying that the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base would be turned into "joint training and capacity-building centres, within new arrangements that preserve mutual interests".
The memorandum of understanding, which followed a year and a half of negotiations, "set a time limit of no more than three months to complete the process", SANA said.
In the meantime, civilian facilities at both bases will be handed over to Damascus.
Russia has yet to officially comment on the agreement.
Both the Hmeimim and Tartus bases had remained operational while talks were ongoing.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited the sites on Sunday "to inspect the facilities and installations included in the historic memorandum of understanding", according to SANA.
Russia was a key Assad ally during the 13-year conflict, helping to keep the former leader in power, and his ouster in 2024 dealt a major blow to its influence in the region.
President Vladimir Putin has since worked to build relations with the new Islamist authorities in Damascus to secure the future of Russia's only two official military bases outside the former Soviet Union.
Syria's official SANA news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying that the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base would be turned into "joint training and capacity-building centres, within new arrangements that preserve mutual interests".
The memorandum of understanding, which followed a year and a half of negotiations, "set a time limit of no more than three months to complete the process", SANA said.
In the meantime, civilian facilities at both bases will be handed over to Damascus.
Russia has yet to officially comment on the agreement.
Both the Hmeimim and Tartus bases had remained operational while talks were ongoing.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited the sites on Sunday "to inspect the facilities and installations included in the historic memorandum of understanding", according to SANA.
'Important step'
Omar al-Hasri, head of Syria's Civil Aviation Authority, said the body was taking control of Latakia's international airport, a civilian facility adjacent to Hmeimim whose operations were closely linked to Russia's presence.
"The Authority's specialised teams have begun the technical and operational assessment of the airport, its facilities and systems, in preparation for developing a plan to rehabilitate it," Hasri said.
He called the move "an important step towards restoring and operating Syrian airports and reintegrating them into the national civil aviation system".
Syria has expressed a willingness to cooperate with Moscow, and President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been received by Putin in Moscow twice since taking over.
During Sharaa's last visit in January, Putin said "much has been accomplished in terms of restoring our interstate relations", commending Sharaa for his "efforts to restore Syria's territorial integrity".
While Sharaa praised Russia's "historic role" in Syria and the region, Damascus has repeatedly demanded that it extradite Assad, who has been sheltering in Moscow with his wife since his ouster.
Earlier this year, the Kremlin withdrew its forces from the Qamishli airport in Syria's northeast.
© 2026 AFP
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