The new administration that rules Syria has canceled a contract with a Russian company to manage the Syrian port in the city of Tartus, Reuters reported, citing three Syrian businessmen and reports in other media, BTA reports.
The Stroytransgaz deal was signed in 2019, when Syria was ruled by former President Bashar al-Assad.
Reuters notes that a spokesman for the Syrian authorities did not respond to its request for comment.
The semi-official Syrian newspaper "Al Watan" yesterday quoted the head of the border services in Tartus, Riad Joudi, as saying that the investment contract was canceled because Stroytransgaz had not fulfilled the conditions adopted in 2019, which included investments in infrastructure.
This information was confirmed by three Syrian businessmen.
"Stroytransgaz" is a large construction company that was tasked with investing in and developing the commercial port of Tartus - the second largest port in Syria after Latakia.
The canceled contract does not concern the Russian naval base in Tartus, which was built by the Soviet Union in the 1970s.
Moscow and Syria's new ruling administration said they were negotiating the future of Russia's military presence in the country after Islamist rebels ousted Assad on December 8, 2024.