Russia and Syria have agreed on a new format for the Russian presence at Khmeimim and Tartus after 18 months of negotiations, according to the SANA news agency.

Under the memorandum, civilian infrastructure, including Khmeimim Airport and the fourth berth at the port of Tartus, is to return to Syrian state control. Military facilities are expected to be reorganised into joint Syrian-Russian training centres and will no longer operate as traditional military bases. The transition is due to be completed within three months.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry described the agreement as a significant result and said it could mark the beginning of a new stage in relations between Moscow and Damascus.

Khmeimim Air Base is located near the Mediterranean city of Jableh, around 60 kilometres south of Tartus. It was established on the site of a former civilian airfield. Moscow and Damascus signed an agreement on the deployment of a Russian aviation group in Syria in August 2015.

On the night of December 8, 2024, opposition forces entered Damascus, after which Bashar Assad, who had led the country since 2000, left Syria. The Constitution was subsequently abolished, while parliament, the army, security services and militia formations were dissolved.

That same day, opposition forces captured Jableh near Khmeimim Air Base during their offensive. The Kremlin later said that opposition representatives had guaranteed the safety of Russian military facilities in Syria.