On Thursday, the General Authority for Ports and Customs denied the authenticity of the news circulating and attributed to Reuters about Russia's operation of a commercial logistics center inside the port of Tartous, stressing that what was circulated was "baseless."

The director of public relations at the authority, Mazen Alloush, said in an official publication that the information circulating is "inaccurate", stressing the need to extract data from official channels and not to republish unreliable news because it misleads public opinion.

He stressed that any investment projects or international agreements related to Syrian ports and border crossings are announced exclusively through the competent government agencies.

The denial came after a Reuters report that Russia was seeking to operate a commercial logistics center inside one of the docks of the naval base in the port of Tartus, with the aim of expanding the movement of Russian goods through the Syrian coast, in conjunction with the continued presence of a Russian military at another pier inside the base.

Reuters quoted, based on Syrian official sources, officials and documents it said it had seen, that the planned project will coincide with keeping a Russian military presence at another pier inside the naval base at a time when Damascus is moving to strengthen its relations with Western and Gulf countries, while maintaining cooperation with Russia on energy, food and military relations, according to the agency.

A center for the collection and distribution of Russian goods in Tartous

The Russian-Syrian Business Council, a body operating under the umbrella of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, announced on June 6 plans to establish a "hub for the collection and distribution of Russian goods" in the port of Tartus.

The Chairman of the Council, Dr. Louay Youssef, revealed that a meeting was held at the Russian naval base in Tartous, which resulted in providing full support for the activation of the supply of Russian goods to Syria through the development of the supply chain of the main collection and distribution center for Russian strategic goods exported to Syria, which was established in partnership with Ross Line and its consortiums, foremost of which is Zajel Company, one of the arms of the Syrian Sovereign Fund.

Regular shipping line between Tartus and Novorossiysk

The Russian official explained that the center will operate a regular shipping line between the port of Tartus and the Russian port of Novorossiysk to transport and unload goods in the center's warehouses, in addition to providing customs clearance services to ensure the smooth entry of goods and internal transportation from the port to various governorates, and to manage marketing and sales at the level of Syria and neighboring countries (Iraq, Jordan, and the Gulf countries).

During the meeting, arrangements were made for the legal transfer of funds to all countries, as well as the provision of licensed private guards to secure goods at storage sites, and security and safety facilities for foreign elements, Russian delegates and trade supervisors, Yusuf said.

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What is Zajel Company?

Zajel Transport Company was established in 2008 as a Syrian limited liability company working in the field of freight services, land transportation, packaging and customs clearance, before witnessing a radical transformation in its position and role within the country's economic structure. ؜

With the restructuring of economic structures following the fall of the previous regime, Decree 113 was issued in July 2025, which created the Syrian Sovereign Fund, to restructure Zajil and acquire and integrate it into the new sovereign system as the executive logistical arm of the Fund.

This transformation has made Zajil an entity responsible for managing vital logistics files, as government transport tasks and lines have been transferred to it, in addition to responsibilities related to ports and crossings and the management of strategic goods movement.