The authorities in the Syrian Arab Republic announced that they had reached a memorandum of understanding with Russia regarding the fate of its bases at Hmeimim Airport and the port of Tartus in the west of the country, provided that the process of converting the military facilities into joint training and rehabilitation centers will be completed within a period not exceeding three months. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed, according to what was reported by the official news agency (SANA), that after a year and a half of negotiations, “a memorandum of understanding was reached” according to which Damascus would “take over the management of facilities of a civilian nature, most notably the Hmeimim Airport and the fourth commercial pier in the port of Tartous.” As for the military bases and installations, their function would be “reformulated, so that they would be transformed from military bases into joint training and rehabilitation centers, within new arrangements.”