Syria’s new authorities have terminated an investment contract about the management of Syria’s Tartus seaport, concluded with a Russian company back in 2019, the Al Watan newspaper reported citing a senior Syrian customs official.
"The agreement on investment into the port of Tartus, signed with a Russian company, has been annulled. All incomes from the port’s activities will be used in Syria’s interests," Tartus province customs department chief Riad Judi said.
The 49-year-long agreement was signed between the Syrian government and Russia’s Stroytransgas company in 2019. The document envisaged that the Russian side will manage the port over that period, investing over $500 million into its modernization.
Tartus is Syria’s second largest seaport, housing Russia’s logistics naval base. The Soviet Union established a base in Tartus in 1971 in accordance with a bilateral agreement. A source told TASS last December that Russia was in talks with the new Syrian authorities about maintaining its two military bases in the country. According to the source, Moscow has obtained temporary security guarantees so the bases continue to operate normally.
In late November, armed opposition units launched a large-scale offensive on positions held by Syrian government forces in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces. On December 8, they entered Damascus, prompting government troops to withdraw from the capital. Bashar Assad resigned as Syrian president and left the country, issuing instructions to ensure a peaceful transition of power. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who had led the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Idlib Province since January 2024, announced his appointment as head of Syria’s interim government. The interim period is expected to last until March 1, 2025.
