Syria And Russia Reach Deal On Hmeimim And Tartus Bases

The transition follows the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Under terms of the memorandum of understanding, management of civilian assets—including the Hmeimim airport and the commercial berth at the commercial port of Tartus—will transfer to Syrian authorities during an interim period lasting no more than three months.

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Syria’s official SANA news agency detailed the agreement on Sunday, describing the framework as a formal reorganizing of the Russian presence along the Syrian coastline. While the two bases previously served as military staging grounds for Moscow during the 13-year civil war, the new accord repurposes them.

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Instead, the military installations at Hmeimim and Tartus are slated to become joint training and capacity-building centres designed to preserve mutual interests between the two nations, according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani traveled to the coastal sites on Sunday to inspect the facilities and installations included in the memorandum of understanding.

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Sovereignty and Leverage in Post-Assad Bilateral Talks

Nanar Hawach, a senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, observed that the significance of the memorandum lies in what it reveals about leverage, noting that a transitional government had renegotiated the terms of a great power’s presence.

Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto added that the government is utilizing the agreement to emphasize that its national sovereignty is not up for negotiation. Hitto noted that Russia has downgraded its military presence from over 100 military bases to just the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval facility.

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Diplomatic Momentum and Unresolved Extradition Demands

The base agreement follows a series of high-level diplomatic engagements between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Putin has met with Sharaa twice since taking power, commending his counterpart for his efforts to restore Syria’s territorial integrity.

While Damascus has expressed a willingness to cooperate on bilateral infrastructure, Syrian officials continue to demand the extradition of Bashar al-Assad, who has sheltered in Moscow with his wife since his ouster. Russia has yet to officially comment on the agreement.