Russia Launched Modernization Of Its Naval Facility In Syria’s Tartus

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Russia has started a “practical part” of its modernization program for the naval maintenance facility in Syria’s Tartus, Viktor Ozerov, the head of the Russian Federation Council’s defense committee announced.

Now, Russia is conducting survery works in the area, the capital modernization work of the naval facility will be launched by the end of 2017.

“The survey works were launched, including those, connected in particular with the construction of a pipeline for fuel. We have started to prepare documents and Syrian companies will carry out a number of [modernization] works. We have started to reinforce quay walls and reconstruct temporary facilities of security services into permanent ones,” the Russian state-run news agency Sputnik quoted Ozerov as saying.

The Tartus facility is the Russian Navy’s only support base in the Mediterranean Sea.

In January 2017, Russia and Syria made an agreement on the expansion and upgrades of the Russian naval maintenance facility in Tartus. The agreement will be in effect for 49 years and will extend automatically for 25-year periods after that.