Syria and Russia Agree to Convert Khmeimim and Tartus Military Bases Into Joint Training Centres

Syria's Foreign Ministry announced on August 9, 2026 that Damascus and Moscow reached a memorandum, after roughly 18 months of negotiations, governing the future of Russia's military presence on the Syrian coast. Khmeimim air base and the Tartus naval facility will cease operating as Russian military bases and be converted into joint training and qualification centres within a maximum of three months; Hmeimim Airport transfers to Syrian civilian control and the fourth commercial berth at Tartus port will be gradually integrated into Syria's civilian port administration. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who inspected the sites, called it 'the most significant development since negotiations began' and said it opens a 'different phase' in Syrian-Russian relations.