Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, said on Thursday that the Syrian Embassy which was reopened in London, will serve the interests of Syrians and will no longer be a hub for intelligence operations.
“There are very important files with Britain, and we seek to seize this historic opportunity to strengthen relations. Syria is no longer a marginal state, but one that matters to all nations,” al-Shaibani said during a panel discussion at Chatham House in London.
As for relations with the U.S., al-Shaibani said the visit to Washington was very successful. It focused on all key files, and “we believe that the full lifting of the Caesar Act is only a matter of time.”
“Relations with the United States are progressing very well and will be positively reflected on the entire region,” he said.
Al-Shaibani went on to say that Syria is exhausted and going through a transitional phase. It needs time to express itself, and we aspire for it to become a country its people believe in — one that is not distant from them.
“We are working to provide a healthy political environment and laying the foundation for inclusive participation. Syria is a republic that relies on elections, and there will be presidential and parliamentary elections with the participation of all Syrians,” the Syrian official said.
He added “We believe that the success of the Syrian model depends on coexistence, building trust, and rejecting the sectarianism that was sown by the deposed regime.”
“We are working to strengthen pluralism within the government, ministries, and society. We have preserved the culture of institutions and are working carefully to restore the constitution and laws in a thoughtful manner,” the Syrian Minister added.
Regarding Sweida, al-Shaibani said the events in Sweida and the coastal region have different contexts and posed major challenges for the government. The incidents in the coastal area were fabricated by remnants of the deposed regime, and we do not condone the violations that were committed.
“The events in Sweida stemmed from accumulated social tensions that escalated into clashes, sparked by Israeli interference. The government sought to maintain security in the province… We are working calmly to contain the Sweida crisis, but there are parties in the province that do not wish for reconciliation. We are trying to assist Sweida on all levels, and we have delivered 70 aid convoys there,” al-Shaibani said.
He added that Israel is currently playing a negative role in Syria and is dissatisfied with the changes that have taken place. It has continued its violations on Syrian territory, but we have not been drawn into provocations and have tried to respond through diplomacy.
“We do not want to be a party to any proxy war. We seek calm and aim to avoid escalation with Israel, dispelling its claims of being under threat. Our focus is on rebuilding Syria, and we view any potential agreement with Israel within that framework,” Syria’s Foreign Minister said.
“Many international parties support our diplomatic stance regarding Israel’s violations… the deposed regime left us with problems with everyone, but we have succeeded in redefining Syria’s image to the world,” al-Shaibani said.
“We believe that all sanctions will be lifted by the end of the year, which will open the door to broad and diverse investment opportunities across all sectors,” he added
As for Russia, al-Shaibani said “We are building pragmatic relations with Russia. We do not want it to dominate Syria as it did in the past, nor do we seek to antagonize it.”
Al-Shaibani: Transitional justice is an approach supported by the Syrian government, and we are working to ensure that all victims who suffered during the era of the ousted regime feel a sense of satisfaction.
Al-Shaibani: We hope that the ceasefire in Gaza will hold, leading to reconstruction, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the return of displaced people to the Strip.
Al-Hussein/ Mazen
