Russia to upgrade Syria's Tartus port, boost its capacity - ambassador
MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax) - The upgrade of the Tartus port in Syria will enable boosting its capacity to 38 million tonnes a year, Russian Ambassador in Damascus Alexander Yefimov said.
"We will make substantial investments to be allocated for the upgrade and technical improvement of its terminals, which will make it possible to increase its cargo turnover from about 4 to 38 million tonnes a year," Yefimov said in an interview with Interfax.
The agreement to transfer the port's operational management to the Russian company for 49 years is a clear example of active contribution to the restoration and development of the Syrian national economy, he said.
At the end of April this year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said following a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that the port would be leased to Russia for 49 years for transport and economic uses.
In 2017, Russia and Syria signed an agreement on a 49-year deployment of the Russian Navy's logistics hub to Tartus.