Syria and Russia have reached a memorandum of understanding to reorganise Russia’s presence along Syria’s Mediterranean coast, the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s media and communications department said Sunday, following around 18 months of talks.
The memorandum sets out the framework for the next phase of Syrian-Russian relations and covers the status of Russia’s bases at Hmeimim and Tartus, the department said, according to Syria’s official SANA news agency.
Under the agreement, Syria will take over the management of civilian facilities, including Hmeimim airport and the fourth commercial berth at Tartus port, with both gradually to be integrated into the civilian administration system.
Military facilities and bases will be given new functions and transformed from military bases into joint training and rehabilitation centers, the department said, adding that the arrangements were intended to safeguard the two countries’ mutual interests.
The agreement was described by the ministry as the “most significant step” since negotiations began about a year and a half ago, opening the way for a new phase in relations between Damascus and Moscow.
