Syria has reached a deal with Moscow regarding the future of its two military bases in the country, which were previously used to support ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Syria’s official SANA news agency quoted the Foreign Ministry on Sunday as saying the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base will be turned into “joint training and capacity-building centres” to preserve mutual interests.
These facilities represent Russia’s only official military bases outside the former Soviet Union. The memorandum of understanding, reached after a year and a half of negotiations, sets a deadline of no more than three months to complete the transition, SANA said.
