Syria to regain control of key Mediterranean bases under Russia deal
Damascus announced on Sunday that it has reached a new agreement with Moscow to regain control of the Hmeimim airbase and the commercial port of Tartus, two strategic sites that served as Russia's primary military positions in the eastern Mediterranean. The Syrian Foreign Ministry stated that these locations will fall under Syrian civilian administration, with their military facilities repurposed as joint Russian-Syrian training centres. The ministry described the agreement as a 'reorganisation of the Russian presence' on the Syrian coast, calling it the most significant development since negotiations began 18 months ago and a step toward a new phase in bilateral relations. During the Syrian civil war from 2011 to 2024, Russia was the primary political and military ally of ousted president Bashar al-Assad. Assad was removed from power in December 2024 following a rapid offensive by Islamist rebels led by the current interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and subsequently fled to Russia with his family. Moscow did not intervene during the operation that led to Assad's fall but granted asylum to the former president and his family. Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Russian forces gradually withdrew from Syria, leaving only personnel at the Hmeimim and Tartus bases. Russia has yet to issue an official response to the new agreement. The new Syrian leadership has sought to maintain bilateral ties with Moscow. Since taking power, Ahmed al-Sharaa has travelled to Moscow twice to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the future of these two bases serving as a primary focus of their discussions. Simultaneously, Damascus has strengthened relations with the United States, Europe, and neighbouring Arab states—nations that had severed ties during the Assad regime's crackdown on protests. Washington has lifted most heavy sanctions against Syria, and French President Emmanuel Macron visited the country in July, announcing that both nations would appoint ambassadors for the first time in 14 years.