Syria says it reached deal with Moscow on future of Russian bases | Bashar al-Assad News

Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base will become joint training and capacity-building centres under the agreement.

Syria says it has reached a deal with Moscow on the future of Russia’s two military bases in the country, which were used to support ousted President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian war.

Syria’s official SANA news agency quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying on Sunday that the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base would be turned into “joint training and capacity-building centres” under new arrangements aimed at preserving mutual interests.

The memorandum of understanding, reached after a year and a half of negotiations, sets a deadline of no more than three months to complete the transition, 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.

While this memorandum of understanding may have come as a surprise to some, Syria’s government is using it to send “a clear message that the central government in Damascus is in control of all assets that belong to Syria and are part of Syrian territory,” said Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from Damascus.

In short, Damascus is affirming that “its national sovereignty is not up for negotiation,” said Hitto.

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 Syria’s 13-year civil war, helping to keep the former leader in power by providing vital military support.

Assad’s ouster in 2024 dealt a major blow to Moscow’s influence in the region.

President Vladimir Putin has since worked to build relations with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa to secure the future of Russia’s only two official military bases outside the former Soviet Union.

“Russia has significantly downgraded its military presence from over 100 military bases to just these two positions on the Syrian coast,” said Al Jazeera’s Hitto.

“Now that those positions are going to be augmented in terms that are acceptable to both sides, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it’s going to become clearer in the coming weeks what kind of military presence Russia will maintain here in Syria.”

Syria has also expressed a willingness to cooperate with Moscow, with Putin receiving Sharaa twice in Moscow since taking power.

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.