New Deal Calls For Russian Naval Base At Tartus To Be Upgraded, Expanded

Moscow and Damascus have finalized an agreement covering the expansion and modernization of the Russian naval facility in Tartus, on Syria's Mediterranean coast, reports the Tass news agency (Moscow).

"The current agreement will stay effective for 49 years and be automatically prolonged for 25-year periods, if neither party makes a 12 months' notice in writing through diplomatic channels of its intention to terminate the agreement's operation," says the document posted last...