Damascus, Aug. 9 (SANA)Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassanal-Shaibanitoured Latakia International Airport and Tartous Porton Sunday following a landmark agreement betweenSyriaandRussiato reorganize Moscow’s presence on theSyrian coast.

Al-Shaibani, accompanied by a delegation, inspected facilities covered by the memorandum of understanding between Syria and Russia, which sets out new arrangements for civilian and military installations previously associated with the Russian presence, the foreign ministry said on its Telegram channel.

The visit came after Syria and Russia reached an agreement to transfer the management of facilities designated for civilian use to the Syrian state and transform Russian military bases into joint training centers.

Earlier Sunday, the Foreign Ministry’s Media and Communications Department told SANA that the agreement followed about 18 months of intensive negotiations led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and settled the future status of Russian facilities atHmeimimandTartous.

Under the memorandum, Syria will assume management of civilian facilities, includingHmeimim Airportand the fourth commercial berth atTartous Port, with both set to be gradually integrated into the country’s civilian administration.

The two sides also agreed to redefine the role of facilities currently used for military purposes, transforming Russian military bases into joint training and qualification centers under arrangements aimed at safeguarding mutual interests.

The memorandum sets a deadline of no more than three months to complete the transition, after which the new arrangements will take effect, according to the ministry.

The ministry described the agreement as the most significant development since negotiations began about a year and a half ago, saying it opens the way for a new phase inSyrian-Russian relations.