Syria and Russia Reach Deal on Future of Tartus and Khmeimim Bases After 18 Months of Talks

Russia and Syria have reached a memorandum of understanding regarding the future of their military bases in Tartus and Khmeimim, according to a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry. The agreement, the result of 18 months of negotiations, aims to boost ties between the two nations and strengthen Russia's geopolitical influence in the Middle East and beyond.

Syrian state news agency SANA cited the Syrian Foreign Ministry as confirming the memorandum. Under the deal, Syrian authorities will take control of civilian facilities such as Khmeimim Airport and the commercial berth at Tartus Port, integrating them into the country's civilian administration. Military facilities, however, will be repurposed as joint training centers, with the transition expected to be completed within three months.

Russia, which granted asylum to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family, views the bases as crucial for maintaining its geopolitical influence in the region and enhancing its ability to project power across the Mediterranean and into Africa. The Tartus facility serves as Russia's only Mediterranean repair and replenishment hub, and the country has used Syria as a staging post to fly military contractors to Africa.

While the Syrian Foreign Ministry and Russian officials emphasize the importance of the agreement, a Syrian source familiar with the deal's terms revealed that Russian forces will continue to be stationed at the new training centers. The exact number of personnel stationed remains undisclosed.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities have sentenced Assad to death in absentia, convicting him of crimes including killings, torture, and arbitrary arrest during the ongoing war. In a separate development, Russia's state news agency TASS reported that Russia will reopen its cultural center in Damascus, known as the Russian House, following talks between a Russian delegation and Syrian officials.