Syria’s foreign minister is set to attend an international conference being hosted by France as regional and Western powers gather in Paris to discuss political transition, humanitarian aid, and rebuilding in the country ravaged by 13 years of war.
Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani is leading a delegation for a first trip to the European Union since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad. The trip will be his first official visit to Europe after he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.
French President Emmanuel Macron was due to speak to representatives at the conference, expected to begin at about 2:30pm (13:30 GMT) on Thursday.
The Group of 7 – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States – will be sending representatives.
Envoys from Syria’s northern neighbour Turkiye, which backed the group that ousted al-Assad, and several Gulf nations will also attend the event.
The meeting aims to coordinate efforts to bring a peaceful transition ensuring the country’s sovereignty and security, as well as mobilise Syria’s main neighbours and partners to coordinate aid and economic support, the French foreign ministry said.
It will also discuss transitional justice and the fight against impunity.
“Following 13 years of war and decades of brutal authoritarianism, it is critical that transitional Syrian authorities, with the support of Syria’s regional and international partners as well as international organizations, ensure that reconstruction efforts are inclusive, enabling everyone in Syria to enjoy their fundamental rights and civil society to flourish. Syrian civil society should be extensively engaged and consulted in these efforts,” NGO Human Rights Watch wrote in an open letter to the EU member states.
The conference, the third of its kind since al-Assad’s fall in December following Aqaba and Riyadh conferences, does not aim to raise funds, which will be left to an annual pledging conference in Brussels in March, but issues such as the lifting of sanctions will be discussed.
The EU has moved forward in lifting some sanctions, although that remains blocked amid opposition from Cyprus and Greece, and concerns over maritime delimitation talks between Syria and Turkiye.
The new authorities in Damascus, headed by interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, have sought to reassure Syrians and the international community that they will enact a peaceful and democratic transition of power and respect the rights of minorities. Last month the de facto leader was named president for a transitional phase.
The interim government has been lobbying the West to lift sanctions, especially on the financial sector, to allow the country to rebuild its economy after 13 years of war that forced millions of Syrians to flee the country.
EU foreign ministers agreed on January 27 to ease sanctions on Syria, starting with key sectors such as energy. The decision came after the United States eased its own sanctions, allowing fuel and electricity donations to Syria for six months.
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