Syria and Russia reach agreement on military base transfers with three-month transition period

Syria and Russia have signed a memorandum to transfer management of Hmeimim Airport and Tartus Port, with a three-month transition period that marks the most concrete step yet in the new Syrian government’s effort to rewrite the military relationship it inherited from the Assad regime.

The agreement represents a significant shift for two facilities that have anchored Russia’s military presence in the Middle East for over a decade. Hmeimim, located near Latakia on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, has served as Russia’s primary air base in the region since September 2015. Tartus, a naval logistics facility on the same coastline, operates under a 2017 agreement that originally granted Russia 49-year utilization rights.

What Damascus is renegotiating

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has been leading a broader review of what he has described as one-sided agreements dating back to the Assad era. The legal architecture governing the Russian military presence includes a 2015 treaty for Hmeimim and the separate 2017 deal for Tartus, both of which are being reassessed rather than simply torn up.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has characterized the broader talks as discussions about “reformatting” the facilities’ roles.

Plans are already underway to establish a commercial logistics hub at Tartus, which would give the port an economic rationale alongside whatever military footprint remains.

The three-month timeline

The memorandum sets a three-month transition period for the management transfer of both Hmeimim Airport and Tartus Port.

Russian resupply operations to the bases have continued even as negotiations progressed, indicating that Moscow has maintained its logistical investment in the facilities throughout the diplomatic process.

Strategic stakes beyond Syria

Russia’s military footprint in Syria has been a cornerstone of its broader Middle Eastern strategy since Moscow intervened militarily in 2015 to support Bashar al-Assad. Hmeimim served as the launchpad for Russian air operations during the Syrian civil war, and Tartus provided the logistical backbone for naval deployments across the Mediterranean.

High-level meetings between Russian and Syrian officials have continued throughout the negotiation process, reflecting what both sides have described as a commitment to maintaining functional ties.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.