Syria’s new government has canceled a 49-year lease signed with Russia to operate the port of Tartus, home to Moscow’s sole naval base on the Mediterranean Sea.
The lease, signed in 2017, extended Russia’s maritime presence on the Syrian coast for the next half-century.
Authorities in Tartus reportedly annulled the lease and demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces, according a report Monday by the Syrian Shaam news outlet.
Tartous Customs Director Riad Judi confirmed the decision, telling the Al-Watan news outlet, “The agreement signed with the Russian company to invest in Tartous Port has been cancelled and all its revenues have become for the benefit of the Syrian state.”
Confirmation also came directly from the Syrian Ministry of Information.
The Syrian Ministry of Information confirmed to our investigation team that the reports about canceling Tartus Port's investment contract with a Russian company, as well as the statement attributed to the Tartus Customs Director, are accurate. #FactCheck pic.twitter.com/fZFB7ISZnP
— تَأكّدْ EN (@VeSyriaE) January 21, 2025
The move ends Russia’s decades-long presence in the eastern Mediterranean.
Russia supported the reign of former President Bashar al-Assad for decades, bombing rebel forces – including the now reigning Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies – throughout the civil war that began in 2011.
“There is no comparable alternative base for the [Russian Navy] in the region,” UK military intelligence said Tuesday in a statement quoted by The Maritime Executive, warning that Moscow will be looking for a new way to access investments in Africa.
“Its ability to logistically support both its military and its private military contractors in Africa, as well as limiting the reputational damage incurred through the fall of the Assad regime, will almost certainly be priorities for the Russian government.”
