Syria's port of Tartus has terminated a 49-year investment agreement with Russian construction company Stroytransgaz, the independent Russian outlet Important Stories reported on Jan. 21, citing Riad Joudeh, head of customs in the city of Tartus.
The decision follows the collapse of Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime on Dec. 8, after a swift offensive by opposition forces that captured Damascus, significantly undermining Russia’s influence in Syria.
The contract, signed in 2019, had committed Moscow to invest at least $500 million in modernizing the port. With the agreement now void, all revenues from the port's operations will go directly to the Syrian state, and its management will revert to local authorities.
The new Syrian government has also blocked a Russian vessel from evacuating military equipment from the Tartus naval base, The Moscow Times reported on Jan. 9.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha discussed Russia’s military presence in Syria during a Dec. 30 diplomatic visit to Damascus.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the same day that Kyiv and the new Syrian leadership share similar views on the issue, though specific details were not revealed.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
