After a year and a half of talks: Russia returns to Syria | All the details

The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that Damascus and Moscow have reached a memorandum of understanding to reorganize the Russian presence on the Syrian coast, after about a year and a half of negotiations. The two bases in Hmeimim and Tartus will become joint training centers, and Syria will receive management of civilian facilities, including the airport and the commercial pier. The process is expected to be completed within up to three months.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced today that Damascus and Moscow have reached a memorandum of understanding regarding the reorganization of the Russian presence on the Syrian coast, after about a year and a half of negotiations and discussions between the parties. According to the media directorate of the Syrian Foreign Ministry, the memorandum anchors the characteristics of the next stage in relations between Syria and Russia, and includes the reorganization of the two Russian bases in Hmeimim and Tartus in the west of the country. Under the agreement, Syria will receive management of civilian facilities, foremost among them the Hmeimim airport and the commercial pier at Tartus port, to gradually prepare them for integration into the civilian system. As for the military bases and facilities, the memorandum stipulates that they will become joint training centers under new arrangements, thereby preserving the mutual interests of both countries. The memorandum sets a timeframe of up to three months for completing the process. The agreement marks a change in the status of the Russian presence in Syria, with the gradual integration of the facilities into the Syrian civilian system.