Riyadh meeting on Syria calls for lifting sanctions, creating conditions for refugees to return

The Riyadh meeting on Syria, held on Sunday, called for lifting sanctions imposed on Damascus and creating conditions for the return of Syrian refugees to their country.

This came in a statement issued by the presidency of the (international) meeting, led by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, and conveyed by the Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement comes after Riyadh hosted earlier on Sunday a meeting of the Arab Contact Committee on Syria at the level of foreign ministers, headed by Bin Farhan, and "discussed the latest developments in Syria and ways to support the Syrian people."

Eleven countries participated in the Arab Contact Committee meeting: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, the Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon, according to a statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Al-Badawi, also participated.

Following the Arab Contact Committee meeting, another international meeting was held with the attendance of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Syria, the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Britain and Germany, while the United States and Italy participated at the level of Deputy Foreign Minister.

Continuous support

According to the same statement, "Steps were discussed to support the brotherly Syrian people and provide them with all aid and support in this important stage of their history, and to help them rebuild Syria as a unified, independent, safe Arab state for all its citizens, with no place for terrorism, no violation of its sovereignty, and no attack on its territorial integrity from any party."

The attendees also discussed "their support for a political transitional process that preserves the rights of all Syrians and with the participation of the various components of the people."

These sanctions have imposed a ban on defense exports and sales, some controls on the export of dual-use products for both civilian and military purposes, and various financial restrictions.

In May 2004, additional restrictions on imports and exports were implemented with the implementation of the US law, the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act.

The scope of the sanctions was expanded with the issuance of the “Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act” (named after a defected regime employee nicknamed “Caesar” who leaked photos of people killed under torture), which was signed by former US President Donald Trump in December 2019 and went into effect in June 2020.

Following the escalation of violence and "unacceptable" levels of human rights violations in Syria, the European Union suspended all bilateral cooperation with the government and its supporters in Syria and imposed sanctions in May 2011.

According to the same statement, the Saudi Foreign Minister praised the "positive steps taken by the new Syrian administration in the field of preserving state institutions, adopting a dialogue approach with the Syrian parties, its commitment to combating terrorism, and its announcement of the start of a political process that includes the various components of the Syrian people, in a way that ensures the stability of Syria and the preservation of its territorial integrity, and that Syria is not a source of threat to the security and stability of the countries of the region."

The Saudi minister reiterated "the Kingdom's condemnation of Israel's incursion into the buffer zone with Syria and the adjacent sites in Mount Hermon and Quneitra Governorate," calling for "the immediate withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the occupied Syrian territories."

Completion of the Aqaba meeting

The Riyadh meetings on Syria are a continuation of the "Aqaba meetings" on Syria, which were held in Jordan on December 14, 2024.

The Jordanian Aqaba meetings affirmed standing by the Syrian people and providing them with all aid and support in this historic phase to rebuild their country on the foundations that preserve its security, stability, sovereignty and unity, and fulfill the rights of its people to a safe, free, stable and dignified life on their land.

The Riyadh meeting is the first Arab-international meeting in which the Foreign Minister of the new Syrian administration, Asaad al-Sheibani, participates.

On December 8, Syrian factions took control of the capital Damascus and other cities before it, ending 61 years of Baath Party rule and 53 years of Assad family control.

The next day, the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, announced that Mohammed al-Bashir, the head of the government that had been running Idlib for years, had been tasked with forming a new government to manage a transitional phase.

Source: Anadolu Agency