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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria and Russia have reached an agreement over the future of two strategic Mediterranean coastal bases that ultimately ends their use a military outposts for Moscow, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday.Russia was the top political and military ally of ousted President Bashar Assad between 2011 and 2024 when Syria fought against an Islamist-led armed opposition of which current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was a prominent militant leader. Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base near Latakia and the Tartus naval base were key Russian outposts in the eastern Mediterranean. Under the agreement, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port as part of its civil administration. The military facilities at both sites will become “joint training and qualification centers,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The new arrangements represent a “reorganizing of the Russian presence” along Syria’s coast, the ministry said.“This move marks the most significant development since negotiations began approximately a year and a half ago, paving the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations,” a statement read.Russia did not immediately comment on the agreement.
