In deal with Russia, Syria to regain control of 2 key Mediterranean bases

DAMASCUS, Syria — Russian forces in Syria will give up control of two strategic bases on the Mediterranean coast, which will be used as joint Russia-Syrian training centers under a new agreement between the two countries, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday.Russia was the top political and military ally of Syria’s ousted President Bashar Assad during the Syrian civil war between 2011 and 2024. Assad was ousted in December 2024 by Islamist insurgents led by current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and has since fled into exile in Russia.Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base were key Russian military outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.Under the new agreement between Damascus and Moscow, Syria will take control of the Hmeimim 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” centers, the Foreign Ministry…
Syria will regain control of two key Mediterranean bases, Hmeimim air base and the commercial berth at Tartus port, under a new agreement with Russia. The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that the military facilities at both sites will become “joint training” centers, marking a “reorganizing of the Russian presence” along Syria’s coast. This development follows approximately 18 months of negotiations and represents a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations. Russia, a former ally of ousted President Bashar Assad, provided him asylum after his overthrow in December 2024. Syria's new leadership, under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, has sought to maintain strong ties with Moscow while also improving relations with Western and Arab nations.
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