Damascus announces agreement with Moscow to reorganize Russian presence at Hmeimim and Tartus - Sarmad
The Media and Communications Department of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday that Damascus and Moscow have reached a memorandum of understanding regarding the reorganization of the Russian presence on the Syrian coast, following about a year and a half of intensive negotiations and discussions between the two sides.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the department added that the memorandum outlines the contours of the next phase of Syrian-Russian relations and includes the reorganization of the status of the two Russian bases in Hmeimim and Tartus.
Under the memorandum, the process of reorganizing the Russian presence on the Syrian coast will begin, with the Syrian state taking over the management of civilian facilities, foremost among them the Hmeimim airport and the fourth commercial wharf in Tartus port, paving the way for their gradual integration into the civil administration system.
Regarding military facilities and bases, the memorandum includes redefining their functions and converting them from military bases into joint training and qualification centers, within the framework of new arrangements that the Syrian side said safeguard the mutual interests of the two countries.
The memorandum set a time limit not exceeding three months to complete the conversion process, with the new arrangements to enter into force after the expiration of this period.
The Media and Communications Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the agreement to be the “most prominent step” since the start of negotiations about a year and a half ago, opening the door to a new phase in relations between Damascus and Moscow.
Russia maintains a major air base in the coastal city of Latakia, while its naval facilities are located in Tartus.
Tartus base serves as Russia’s only repair and refit center in the Mediterranean, and Moscow has used Syria as a launching point to airlift its military contractors to Africa.
