Syria reaches new agreement on Russian military bases.
The new agreement regarding Russian military bases in Syria marks a significant turning point, with a potential change of purpose within the next three months.
According to AFP, the Syrian government announced that it has reached an agreement with Russia on the future of two Russian military bases in the country.
The Syrian state news agency SANA, citing the Foreign Ministry, reported that the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base will be converted into joint training and capacity-building centers. This process is part of new agreements aimed at protecting the interests of both Russia and Syria. According to SANA, this historic memorandum of understanding is the result of 1.5 years of negotiations, which set a maximum deadline of three months for completing the entire process.
During the waiting period, civilian facilities at both bases will be handed over to the Damascus government. Currently, Russia has not issued an official comment on the agreement. However, throughout the negotiation process, both Hmeimim and Tartus bases maintained normal operational status.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited these bases on August 9th to inspect the infrastructure and equipment included in the memorandum of understanding. At the same time, Omar al-Hasri, head of the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority, announced that the agency was taking over Latakia International Airport. This is a civilian facility adjacent to Hmeimim, where operations were previously closely linked to the Russian military presence.
Hasri said that the agency's professional teams have begun a technical and operational assessment of the airport, its facilities, and accompanying systems in preparation for developing a restoration plan. He considered this move a significant step towards restoring and operating Syrian airports and reintegrating them into the national civil aviation system.
Diplomatically, Syria has demonstrated its willingness to cooperate with Moscow. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been received by President Putin in Moscow twice since officially taking office. During Sharaa's most recent visit in January 2026, President Putin affirmed that the two sides had achieved significant progress in restoring bilateral diplomatic relations.