Latest news with #AsaadAlShaibani
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK re-establishes diplomatic relations with Syria as Lammy visits
David Lammy has said that a 'stable Syria is in the UK's interests' as the UK re-established diplomatic relations with the Middle Eastern nation. The Foreign Secretary has visited Damascus, the first visit to the country by a UK minister for 14 years, and met with President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani. The Assad regime collapsed in December last year after rebels led by proscribed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed the capital Damascus, forcing the then-president to flee after 24 years in charge. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced £94.5 million for humanitarian aid for Syrians. Mr Lammy said: 'As the first UK Minister to visit Syria since the fall of Assad's brutal regime, I've seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country. Today in Damascus I met with President Al-Sharaa and FM @AsaadHShaibani. I welcomed progress made and stressed the need for an inclusive and representative political transition. The UK stands ready to support the new Syrian Government. — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 5, 2025 'After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people. 'The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians. 'A stable Syria is in the UK's interests, reducing the risk of irregular migration, ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons, tackling the threat of terrorism and delivering the Government's plan for change.' In April, the UK lifted a raft of sanctions against Syria that had been imposed under the Assad regime, including those on the interior and defence ministries. The Syrian president's office said on Saturday said that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.
France 24
05-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Britain reestablishes full Syria ties as FM visits Damascus
In 2011, Britain was among the first countries to acknowledge rebel groups as the official Syrian government after then-president Bashar al-Assad's crushing of pro-democracy protests plunged the country into civil war. London also joined sanctions against Syria and later closed its embassy in Damascus, going on to launch air strikes on Assad's forces. Assad was ultimately toppled in December after more than 13 years of fighting by a rebel offensive led by Sharaa, now Syria's interim president. "The UK is reestablishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians," Lammy said in a statement. Photos released by Sharaa's office showed him and Lammy meeting alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. Their discussions addressed "bilateral ties... and ways of strengthening cooperation, as well as regional and international developments", the presidency said in a statement. The Syrian foreign ministry issued a similar statement following a separate meeting between Lammy and Shaibani. Lammy said a stable Syria would benefit Britain by "reducing the risk of irregular migration, ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons" and "tackling the threat of terrorism". Britain's Foreign Office said Assad's overthrow was an opportunity to "fully declare and destroy Assad's evil chemical weapons programme", adding that London had contributed an additional $2.7 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to help Syria do so. In 2018, the UK joined US air strikes on Syria's chemical weapons in response to a suspected poison gas attack by Assad's forces. Sanctions lifted Syria has experienced a flurry of diplomatic activity in the months since Islamist-led forces ousted Assad. In May, Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra met with an official British delegation, the defence ministry said at the time. In April, the British government announced it was lifting sanctions imposed on Syria's interior and defence ministries under Assad. It also said it was removing sanctions against various media groups and intelligence agencies, as well as on some sectors of the economy including financial services and energy production. A month earlier, it ended sanctions on 24 entities including Syria's central bank. The United States has also lifted sanctions on Syria and is planning to remove it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. Last month, Damascus carried out its first electronic transfer through the international banking system since the imposition of sanctions. The growing international backing comes as Syria's new leaders attempt to rebuild the country and reboot its moribund economy, both ravaged by the conflict and crippling sanctions. Britain's Foreign Office said London had committed an extra $129 million to provide "urgent humanitarian aid" and support Syria's reconstruction as well as countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Arab News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria ready to work with US to return to 1974 disengagement deal with Israel
Washington has been pushing diplomatic efforts toward a normalization deal between Syria and IsraelBarrack confirmed this week that Syria and Israel were engaging in 'meaningful' US-brokered talksDAMASCUS: Syria said on Friday it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, which created a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two countries' a statement following a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, Asaad Al-Shaibani expressed Syria's 'aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.'Washington has been pushing diplomatic efforts toward a normalization deal between Syria and Israel, with envoy Thomas Barrack saying last week that peace between the two was now to The New York Times, Barrack confirmed this week that Syria and Israel were engaging in 'meaningful' US-brokered talks to end their border the toppling of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December, Israel deployed its troops into the UN-patrolled zone separating Syrian and Israeli has also launched hundreds of air strikes on military targets in Syria and carried out incursions deeper into the country's and Israel have technically been in a state of war since conquered around two thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, before annexing it in 1981 in a move not recognized by much of the international community.A year after the 1973 war, the two reached an agreement on a disengagement part of the deal, an 80 kilometer-long (50 mile) United Nations-patrolled buffer zone was created on the east of Israeli-occupied territory, separating it from the Syrian-controlled Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday that his country had an 'interest' in normalizing ties with Syria and neighboring however added that the Golan Heights 'will remain part of the State of Israel' under any future peace state media reported on Wednesday that 'statements concerning signing a peace agreement with the Israeli occupation at this time are considered premature.'
LBCI
04-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Syria says ready to work with US to return to 1974 disengagement deal with Israel
Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Friday that Damascus was willing to cooperate with Washington to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel. In a statement following a phone call with his American counterpart Marco Rubio, Shaibani said he expressed Syria's "aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement". Syria and Israel have technically been in a state of war since 1948. AFP
Al Arabiya
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Syria says ready to work with US to return to 1974 disengagement deal with Israel
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Friday that Damascus was willing to cooperate with Washington to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel. In a statement following a phone call with his American counterpart Marco Rubio, al-Shaibani said he expressed Syria's 'aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.' Syria and Israel have technically been in a state of war since 1948.
