DAMASCUS — Syria and Russia reached a memorandum of understanding on the future of the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base, establishing a framework to repurpose military infrastructure and transfer civilian control to Damascus. The agreement mandates that the transition of the bases must be completed within three months.

Military facilities at the Hmeimim and Tartus bases will be repurposed as joint training and capacity-building centers under the new arrangement. Civilian facilities at the Hmeimim and Tartus bases will be handed over to Syrian control as part of the broader restructuring effort. Syria will take over management of the commercial berth at Tartus port, shifting operational authority for key logistical assets. Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs stated that Syria would take over Pier No. 4 and its associated warehouses and facilities at Tartus port.

The agreement was reached after 18 months of negotiations between the two governments. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited the Hmeimim and Tartus sites on Sunday to inspect the facilities ahead of the formal announcement. Russia has not officially commented on the agreement since the memorandum was finalized.

The Hmeimim and Tartus bases are Russia’s only official military bases outside the former Soviet Union. The legal status of the Hmeimim airbase is regulated by a treaty Russia and Syria signed in August 2015. At the end of 2017, Russia said it had decided to turn the Khmeimim base into a component of its permanent military contingent stationed in Syria. The Tartus naval base, established in 1971 under a bilateral agreement between the Soviet Union and Syria, has been a key Russian military outpost in the eastern Mediterranean for over five decades.

The repurposing of these strategic assets follows a series of diplomatic engagements regarding their future role. In October 2025, Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Moscow and pledged that Syria’s new leadership would honor all previously signed agreements with Russia, including those related to the Hmeimim and Tartus bases. In December 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed using the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base as hubs for delivering humanitarian aid to Syria.

Russian officials have previously indicated that the function of these sites is evolving. In January 2026, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov confirmed that negotiations on maintaining Russian military bases in Syria were ongoing, with both sides agreeing to continue consultations. In March 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Syria’s current authorities viewed Russia’s presence as a stabilizer and that the functions of Russian military facilities had evolved beyond purely military purposes.

Syrian defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra stated in February 2026 that Syria would retain Russian military bases if it was profitable for the country. In June 2026, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that discussions were underway on the possible reformatting of Russian military facilities in Syria, including the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base. On December 27, a source close to the discussions on the preservation of Russian facilities in Syria told TASS that new Syrian authorities do not plan to terminate the agreements under which Russia uses military bases in Latakia and Tartus provinces in the near future.

Why It Matters

The agreement alters the status of Russia's only official military bases outside the former Soviet Union by transferring civilian infrastructure and commercial port management to Syrian control. Repurposing military facilities into joint training centers within a three-month deadline marks a structural shift in how these strategic assets operate following 18 months of negotiations. This transition redefines the operational authority over key logistical sites while maintaining a modified Russian presence through capacity-building functions.