Syria Says It Has a Deal With Russia on Its Bases
Syria said it had reached an agreement with Moscow on the future of Russia’s military presence in the country, under which the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base would become joint “training and capacity-building” centres. The deal would preserve a foothold that Russia has held for years on the Mediterranean. It marks a notable step in relations between Damascus and Moscow.
The bases at Hmeimim and Tartus have anchored Russia’s power projection into the Mediterranean and Africa, and their fate had been uncertain amid the upheavals in Syria. Recasting them as joint centres allows both sides to save face while keeping the Russian presence intact in a new guise. For Moscow, holding on to warm-water access and an air hub is a strategic prize; for Damascus, the arrangement signals continuity with a long-standing patron. Regional powers and the West will scrutinise what the deal means for the balance of influence in Syria. Watch how the arrangement is implemented and how Western capitals respond.