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UK foreign minister visits Syria, re-establishes ties

UK foreign minister visits Syria, re-establishes ties

The Advertiser2 days ago
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Damascus, marking the first visit by a senior United Kingdom official to Syria since diplomatic ties were severed more than a decade ago.
According to a statement from the Syrian presidency, the meeting was attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and focused on bilateral relations and ways to strengthen co-operation between the two countries.
The discussions also touched on regional and international developments.
European countries have been slowly resetting their approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December following more than 13 years of war.
In a separate session, Foreign Minister al-Shibani held an extended meeting with Lammy to discuss enhancing political dialogue and co-operation across various areas of mutual interest.
Lammy discussed discuss bilateral co-operation, political transition and regional security and emphasised UK support for Syria's reconstruction, inclusive governance and justice for victims of the former regime, according to a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office.
The UK also announced new funding, including £2 million ($A4.2 million) to support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in eliminating any remaining chemical weapons in Syria.
The UK also pledged £94.5 million in humanitarian and development aid to support Syrian livelihoods, education and countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Lammy also met with Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets) teams and women-led businesses supported by UK aid programs.
A stable Syria is in the UK's interest, he said.
The UK suspended its diplomatic relations with Syria in mid-2012 following the escalation of anti-government protests and civil unrest.
with Reuters
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Damascus, marking the first visit by a senior United Kingdom official to Syria since diplomatic ties were severed more than a decade ago.
According to a statement from the Syrian presidency, the meeting was attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and focused on bilateral relations and ways to strengthen co-operation between the two countries.
The discussions also touched on regional and international developments.
European countries have been slowly resetting their approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December following more than 13 years of war.
In a separate session, Foreign Minister al-Shibani held an extended meeting with Lammy to discuss enhancing political dialogue and co-operation across various areas of mutual interest.
Lammy discussed discuss bilateral co-operation, political transition and regional security and emphasised UK support for Syria's reconstruction, inclusive governance and justice for victims of the former regime, according to a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office.
The UK also announced new funding, including £2 million ($A4.2 million) to support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in eliminating any remaining chemical weapons in Syria.
The UK also pledged £94.5 million in humanitarian and development aid to support Syrian livelihoods, education and countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Lammy also met with Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets) teams and women-led businesses supported by UK aid programs.
A stable Syria is in the UK's interest, he said.
The UK suspended its diplomatic relations with Syria in mid-2012 following the escalation of anti-government protests and civil unrest.
with Reuters
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Damascus, marking the first visit by a senior United Kingdom official to Syria since diplomatic ties were severed more than a decade ago.
According to a statement from the Syrian presidency, the meeting was attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and focused on bilateral relations and ways to strengthen co-operation between the two countries.
The discussions also touched on regional and international developments.
European countries have been slowly resetting their approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December following more than 13 years of war.
In a separate session, Foreign Minister al-Shibani held an extended meeting with Lammy to discuss enhancing political dialogue and co-operation across various areas of mutual interest.
Lammy discussed discuss bilateral co-operation, political transition and regional security and emphasised UK support for Syria's reconstruction, inclusive governance and justice for victims of the former regime, according to a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office.
The UK also announced new funding, including £2 million ($A4.2 million) to support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in eliminating any remaining chemical weapons in Syria.
The UK also pledged £94.5 million in humanitarian and development aid to support Syrian livelihoods, education and countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Lammy also met with Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets) teams and women-led businesses supported by UK aid programs.
A stable Syria is in the UK's interest, he said.
The UK suspended its diplomatic relations with Syria in mid-2012 following the escalation of anti-government protests and civil unrest.
with Reuters
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Damascus, marking the first visit by a senior United Kingdom official to Syria since diplomatic ties were severed more than a decade ago.
According to a statement from the Syrian presidency, the meeting was attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and focused on bilateral relations and ways to strengthen co-operation between the two countries.
The discussions also touched on regional and international developments.
European countries have been slowly resetting their approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December following more than 13 years of war.
In a separate session, Foreign Minister al-Shibani held an extended meeting with Lammy to discuss enhancing political dialogue and co-operation across various areas of mutual interest.
Lammy discussed discuss bilateral co-operation, political transition and regional security and emphasised UK support for Syria's reconstruction, inclusive governance and justice for victims of the former regime, according to a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office.
The UK also announced new funding, including £2 million ($A4.2 million) to support the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in eliminating any remaining chemical weapons in Syria.
The UK also pledged £94.5 million in humanitarian and development aid to support Syrian livelihoods, education and countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Lammy also met with Syrian Civil Defence (White Helmets) teams and women-led businesses supported by UK aid programs.
A stable Syria is in the UK's interest, he said.
The UK suspended its diplomatic relations with Syria in mid-2012 following the escalation of anti-government protests and civil unrest.
with Reuters
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Trump has dudded Ukraine. Can Europe come to its rescue?
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‘He's taking the piss': Sky News host Paul Murray torches Anthony Albanese for ducking US while cozying up to China
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‘He's taking the piss': Sky News host Paul Murray torches Anthony Albanese for ducking US while cozying up to China

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Trump has dudded Ukraine. Can Europe come to its rescue?
Trump has dudded Ukraine. Can Europe come to its rescue?

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  • The Age

Trump has dudded Ukraine. Can Europe come to its rescue?

That coalition remains a loose group of nations with an even looser set of commitments. The two leading members are willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, but others are vague with their pledges. (Australia sent a representative to observe previous coalition meetings after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was willing to consider helping the cause. Former Liberal leader Peter Dutton ruled this out, but siding with Trump did not help him when the election came.) The big shift among European leaders is the hardening in their language about military options. This is not just about meeting Trump's demand to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence – a long-term aspiration. It is about doing more – fast – to help Ukraine, and in doing so, helping themselves. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a key figure now that Denmark has taken the presidency of the EU for the second half of this year, summed this up at a press conference with Zelensky and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last Thursday. 'The war in Ukraine has never been only about Ukraine – it's about Europe,' she said in Aarhus. 'All of us hope that [the] US will continue their support for Ukraine, and because of Ukraine, for Europe. But if there are any gaps, then I personally believe that we should be willing to fill in.' The ambition is clear. The capacity, however, is not. The huge question in Europe is whether the major powers have the industrial capacity – the sheer military muscle – to match Russia at a time when Putin shows no sign of stopping the war in Ukraine and every sign he wants to start fights elsewhere. The latest evidence is in Azerbaijan, where Russia is turning on its former ally. Can Europe counter Putin in the grim scenario of outright war? No less than Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, admits the Europeans do not have the military might they need. Loading 'We have an enormous geopolitical challenge on our hands,' Rutte told The New York Times in a sobering interview on the weekend. 'And that is first of all Russia, which is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history. They are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year.' Put simply, the blockades and sanctions are not enough. Russia is rebuilding. Rutte added a warning about China's military ambitions, as well. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea – the CRINKs – are sharing military technology in a way that steadily increases the risk to the West. The Shahed drones that deliver death from the air show the CRINK economic model in action. The drones are based on an Iranian design but have been adapted by Russia in more lethal versions. They are made in Russia using parts from China. One day soon, according to Japanese news site NHK, they may be assembled by visiting North Korean workers. The argument about defence spending as a percentage of GDP in 2030 seems hopelessly abstract in the light of concrete facts. Right now, for all its economic wealth, western Europe lacks the capacity to match Putin where it counts – in the missile bombardment seen over Ukraine. Ukraine's military intelligence, known as the HUR, estimates Russia is producing 60 to 70 of its Iskander ballistic missiles and more than 10 of the hypersonic Kinzhals each month. That suggests an annual tally of 960 – although it is obviously difficult to be certain. That sum is greater than the American production of Patriot air defence missiles – the essential systems Trump is denying Ukraine. Lockheed-Martin has increased annual output of the Patriot PAC-3 MSE to 400 units a year and is aiming for 500 this year and 650 in a few years' time. So America has the stockpiles to help Ukraine, but it also has a challenge in matching Putin. Europe, meanwhile, is struggling to keep up. Fabian Hoffmann, a research fellow at the University of Oslo and a non-resident fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, says the European public will be 'enraged' if war comes and civilians discover the failure of their leaders to invest in missile defence. Loading Hoffmann estimates Europe's annual production of the PAC-3 MSE interceptor is about 550 units a year. Europe makes other defence systems, so this is not the full picture, but he believes the number of available systems is far too low. European leaders have responded to this moment with fine words. They know they must do what Trump will not. But the meeting this Thursday may only highlight the severe challenge in turning words into actions. This is a shocking state for Europe more than a decade after Putin began his military incursion into Ukraine and more than three years after he launched a full-scale war that is dominated by missile and drone attacks. Putin told the world about the future of war. Too many were too slow to listen.

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