Syria gave the port of Tartus, where the Russian Navy base was located, to the UAE

The Syrian Ports Authority has signed a memorandum with the world's largest port operator DP World of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), under which $ 800 million will be invested in the development of the terminal and logistics services of the port of Tartus. This was reported by the Syrian state agency SANA.

It is noted that the implementation of the project will strengthen the position of the port of Tartus as a "key hub of regional and international trade." The new government of Syria and a company from the UAE have agreed to work together on the organization of special economic zones, the construction of terminals and transit hubs in the regions of the republic. DP World, owned by the government of Dubai, is considered one of the largest port operators in the world.

Tartus is the second largest seaport in Syria, located on the Mediterranean coast. Under President Bashar Assad, the operator of the port was the Russian company STG Engineering, with which the Syrian government signed an investment contract in 2019. He envisaged that the company would manage the port for 49 years and invest more than $ 500 million in its modernization. The base of the Russian Navy was located in the port of Tartus. The new Syrian authorities, after the overthrow of Assad, terminated the investment agreement in January 2025.

The signing of the memorandum followed the decision of US President Donald Trump to lift the sanctions restrictions imposed against Syria. The head of the White House said this during a visit to Saudi Arabia. According to him, the decision to lift the sanctions was made after consultations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump also held a brief meeting in Riyadh with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Recall that in January, the Syrian newspaper Al Watan reported, citing the director of Tartus customs, that the new government of the country canceled the agreement with Russia on the management of the seaport, concluded in 2019 and designed for 49 years. The director of Tartus Customs, Riad Jodi, said that the port practically did not work due to laws, high fees for port services and technical problems.

EADaily reported that in January, a Russian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Syria to discuss the fate of the Russian military bases (Tartus and Khmeimim). The diplomat said that the meeting was "constructive", but negotiations on this issue will continue. On February 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin had his first conversation with the new leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa. And on February 17, Bloomberg reported that Russia was close to a deal with the new Syrian government that would allow it to maintain a presence at military bases in Tartus and Khmeimim.