Russia withdraws from Syria’s Tartus Port as 49-year lease revoked
File photo shows an aerial view of Syria's Tartus Port, which had been leased to Russian company Stroytransgaz for 49 years, where multiple cargo ships are docked alongside the breakwater. (AFP Photo)
Following the new Syrian administration’s termination of the investment agreement that granted Russia the operation of Tartus Port for 49 years, Russia has begun vacating the port, Syrian media reported.
The new administration has canceled the agreement signed during the Assad era in 2019, with the Russian construction company Stroytransgaz including provisions for the Russian company to operate the port, take 65% of the profits generated, and invest over $500 million in modernizing the port.
“From now on, all revenues from the port’s operations will serve the interests of the Syrian state,” said Riad Judy, Director of Tartus Customs Administration, interviewing Syria’s Al-Watan daily.
End of Russian military presence in Syria
According to satellite images, the Russian cargo ship “Sparta II” docked at the port, initiating the evacuation process.
The new administration’s decision to cancel the agreement is reportedly aimed at reducing Russia’s influence in Syria. Additionally, the cancellation is seen as making it no longer feasible for Russia to maintain its military presence in the region.
The Russian naval base at Tartus, which was Russia’s only refueling point in the Mediterranean before the fall of the Assad regime, also enabled Moscow to conduct operations in the Black Sea and Africa. Along with the Hmeimim airbase, Tartus was considered a key base for Russia’s military operations in Syria.
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