Syria, Russia agree to end military use of key Mediterranean bases

Syria and Russia have reached an agreement over the future of two strategic Mediterranean coastal bases that ultimately ends their use a military outposts for Moscow, Syria's Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

Russia was the top political and military ally of ousted President Bashar Assad between 2011 and 2024 when Syria fought against an Islamist-led armed opposition of which current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was a prominent militant leader.

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Throughout the conflict, the Hmeimem air base near Latakia and the Tartous naval base were key Russian outposts in the eastern Mediterranean.

Under the agreement, Syria will take control of the Hmeimem 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 and qualification centers”, the foreign ministry said.

The new arrangements represent a “reorganising of the Russian presence” along Syria's coast, the ministry said.

“This move marks the most significant development since negotiations began approximately a year and a half ago, paving the way for a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations,” a statement read.

Russia did not immediately comment on the agreement.

Moscow did not interfere during the lightning insurgency that led to the overthrow of Assad, but it did provide the longtime Syrian leader and his family asylum. After Assad's ouster, Russian troops remaining in Syria gradually left the country.

Syria's new leadership has aimed to maintain strong bilateral ties with Moscow. Al-Sharaa has visited President Vladimir Putin in Moscow twice since taking power, with the two Mediterranean bases being key points of discussion.

Since Assad's ouster, Syria has also bolstered its ties with the United States, Europe, and neighbouring Arab countries that had cut ties with Damascus during Assad's crackdown on protests. Washington has lifted most of its crippling sanctions on the country, and French President Emmanuel Macron made a visit to Syria in July during which he announced that the two countries would appoint respective ambassadors for the first time in 14 years.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)