Syria and Russia agree on future of Tartous and Hmeimim military bases after 18 months of talks

Agreement announced

Syria and Russia reached a memorandum of understanding on August 9 settling the future of Russia's two military bases at Tartous and Hmeimim, the Syrian foreign ministry announced through state news agency SANA. The deal follows 18 months of intensive negotiations that began after former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024. The ministry described the agreement as the most significant step since negotiations began, saying it opens the door to a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations. Moscow had not publicly commented on the agreement as of the announcement.

What changes on the ground

Under the memorandum, Syria's government will take over management of civilian facilities, including Hmeimim airport and the commercial berth at Tartous port, specifically Pier No. 4 and its associated warehouses and facilities. These will be gradually integrated into Syria's civilian administration. Syria's General Authority for Ports and Customs confirmed the takeover of commercial sites previously operated by Russia at Tartous port. Military facilities at both sites will be repurposed as joint training and qualification centers under new arrangements that the ministry said preserve the interests of both sides. The transition is to be completed within a maximum of three months.

Omar Hosari, president of Syria's General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport, confirmed that the government received Latakia International Airport, adjacent to Hmeimim, on August 9. He said this represents an important step in recovering and restoring Syria's airports and reintegrating them into the national civil aviation system. Specialized teams began technical and operational assessments of the airport's facilities and systems to develop a rehabilitation plan.

Strategic context

The Tartous naval facility and Hmeimim air base were Russia's only official military bases outside the former Soviet Union, serving as Moscow's principal footholds in the Mediterranean and Middle East. The bases provided Russia with its only supply and stopover hub in the eastern Mediterranean for planes and ships traveling to and from Africa. Tartous has been used since the 1970s under an agreement between the Soviet Union and Syria, while Hmeimim was constructed by Russian troops in 2015 during Russia's military intervention in support of Assad. The bases remained operational throughout the negotiations.

After Assad's ouster, Russia was limited to using a single berth at Tartous when permitted by Syrian authorities. Syria's government also canceled Russia's contract to manage the Tartous port and signed a deal with Dubai Ports World, which agreed to invest $800 million in the facility. Earlier in 2026, the Kremlin withdrew its forces from Qamishli airport in the Kurdish autonomous zone in northeastern Syria.

Diplomatic backdrop

Russian President Vladimir Putin has received Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, twice in Moscow since Assad's fall. Assad remains in exile in Russia, and Damascus has demanded his extradition. The new Syrian president said after taking office that he was not in a hurry to expel Russia from Syria, noting that Russia had supplied Syria's military with weapons for decades.

Foreign Minister Assaad al-Chaibani inspected the installations and infrastructure covered by the agreement on August 9. SANA described the protocol as "historic." The Syrian foreign ministry said the agreement opens the way for a new phase in relations between the two countries.

This step is the most significant since negotiations began approximately a year and a half ago, and opens the door to a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations.