Sawt Falasteen - Syria says reached deal with Moscow on fate of Russian bases

Russia was a key Assad ally during the 13-year conflict, helping to keep the former leader in power, and his ouster in 2024 dealt a major blow to its influence in the region.

President Vladimir Putin has since worked to build relations with the new Islamist authorities in Damascus to secure the future of Russia's only two official military bases outside the former Soviet Union.

Syria's official SANA news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying that the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base would be turned into "joint training and capacity-building centres, within new arrangements that preserve mutual interests".

The memorandum of understanding, which followed a year and a half of negotiations, "set a time limit of no more than three months to complete the process", SANA said.

In the meantime, civilian facilities at both bases will be handed over to Damascus.

Russia has yet to officially comment on the agreement.

Both the Hmeimim and Tartus bases had remained operational while talks were ongoing.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited the sites on Sunday "to inspect the facilities and installations included in the historic memorandum of understanding", according to SANA.

- 'Important step' -

Omar al-Hasri, head of Syria's Civil Aviation Authority, said the body was taking control of Latakia's international airport, a civilian facility adjacent to Hmeimim whose operations were closely linked to Russia's presence.

"The Authority's specialised teams have begun the technical and operational assessment of the airport, its facilities and systems, in preparation for developing a plan to rehabilitate it," Hasri said.

He called the move "an important step towards restoring and operating Syrian airports and reintegrating them into the national civil aviation system".

Syria has expressed a willingness to cooperate with Moscow, and President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been received by Putin in Moscow twice since taking over.

During Sharaa's last visit in January, Putin said "much has been accomplished in terms of restoring our interstate relations", commending Sharaa for his "efforts to restore Syria's territorial integrity".

While Sharaa praised Russia's "historic role" in Syria and the region, Damascus has repeatedly demanded that it extradite Assad, who has been sheltering in Moscow with his wife since his ouster.

Earlier this year, the Kremlin withdrew its forces from the Qamishli airport in Syria's northeast.

X.Habash--SF-PST