Syrian authorities terminate agreement with Russian company to manage Tartus port, site of Russian military base
Syria’s new authorities have terminated an agreement with Russia’s Stroytransgaz to manage the Tartus port, Kommersant reports.
The 49-year deal, signed in 2019, is no longer in effect, according to Riad Joudi, head of customs in the Tartus governorate. “All revenue from the port’s operations will now serve the interests of the Syrian state,” Joudi told Al-Watan.
Former Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hammoud had previously stated that the agreement with the Russian company included managing the port and investing more than $500 million in its modernization, Kommersant noted.
The Tartus port is also home to one of Russia’s military bases in Syria, serving as a key logistics hub for the Russian Navy.
In addition to Tartus, the Khmeimim Air Base in the Latakia governorate is one of Russia’s two primary military bases in Syria. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Moscow was in contact with Syria’s new authorities and hoped to reach an agreement to maintain its military presence in the country.
