PNN – The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that, following a year and a half of intensive negotiations, the status of the two Russian bases at Hmeimim and Tartus has finally been determined, and the process of reorganizing Moscow’s military presence will begin.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; the SANA news agency—citing the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s Media and Communications Department—reported that after eighteen months of intensive talks and discussions, the fate of the two Russian bases at Hmeimim and Tartus has finally been settled through a memorandum of understanding that outlines the next phase of relations between the two sides.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry’s media office added that, under this memorandum of understanding, the process of reorganizing Russia’s presence on the Syrian coast will commence; the government will assume management of civilian facilities—specifically the Hmeimim Airbase and the fourth commercial pier at the port of Tartus—and will gradually integrate them into the civilian management system.
According to the announcement, regarding bases and facilities of a military nature, the two sides agreed to redefine their functions, transforming them from military bases into joint training and rehabilitation centers within the framework of new arrangements that safeguard mutual interests.
The department also stated that the memorandum of understanding sets a maximum three-month timeframe for completing the transition process, after which the new arrangements will come into effect.
Syria’s Tartus naval facility has hosted Russia’s Mediterranean naval base, while Latakia has hosted the Russian Khmeimim airbase in the region.
Ahmad al-Sharaa, the head of the Syrian interim government, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last February to discuss bilateral issues, including the status of the two aforementioned bases.