Latest news with #AsaadAl-Shaibani
Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
EU agrees to lift sanctions on Syria
Amman, Damascus to boost cooperation in several fields, including energy, water, trade DAMASCUS: Syria's foreign minister said on Tuesday that the lifting of sanctions on his country showed an 'international will' to support Damascus, after EU countries agreed to end the bloc's economic sanctions. In a press conference in Damascus alongside his Jordanian counterpart, Asaad Al-Shaibani said that 'lifting sanctions expresses the regional and international will to support Syria', adding that 'the Syrian people today have a very important and historic opportunity to rebuild their country'. 'The plan today is to benefit from the lifting of sanctions. Anyone who wants to invest in Syria, the doors are open; anyone who wants to cooperate with Syria, there are no sanctions,' he added. Shaibani's statement came after European diplomats said in Brussels that the EU had given the green light to lifting all economic sanctions on Syria in an attempt to support the country's reconstruction following the December overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar Al-Assad. 'We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria,' Kallas said in a post on social media platform X following discussions with ministers in Brussels. The European Union's policy shift comes after President Donald Trump said last week he would order the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. 'The EU has always stood by Syrians throughout the last 14 years - and will keep doing so,' Kallas said. Syria's interim foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani receives Jordan's top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, in Damascus on May 20, 2025. The bloc has already eased sanctions related to energy, transport and reconstruction, as well as associated financial transactions, but some capitals have argued that the measures were insufficient to help support Syria's political transition and economic recovery. 'The European Union wants to make a fresh start with Syria ... but we also expect an inclusive policy within the country that includes all population groups and religious groups,' Germany's foreign minister Johann Wadephul said in a written statement. 'It is important to us that a united Syria can thus take its future into its own hands,' he added. 'A historic milestone' Western states had imposed a plethora of sanctions on Al-Assad, his inner circle and the Syrian government as a whole throughout the 14-year civil war, which killed over half a million people. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi congratulated Al-Shaibani on the developments, saying Syria was now 'in a new phase, and Syria's success requires giving it a chance to succeed'. Lifting sanctions would provide the Syrian government with 'the capabilities it needs to serve its people and will allow the private sector in all countries of the world to work towards that', Safadi said. Syria and Jordan also announced on Tuesday the formation of a higher coordination council between the two countries and the signing of a memorandum of understanding. 'We agreed on a roadmap to boost cooperation in the fields of energy, water, industry, trade and transport' as well as the health sector, Safadi said. Al-Shaibani said that today's visit constituted 'a historic milestone in the history of both countries and a very important point in the future of the relationship between the two countries'. — Agencies
Roya News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Damascus reacts to Washington's sanctions lift
The Syrian government has welcomed the United States' decision to lift sanctions on the country, describing it as a 'positive step' toward easing humanitarian and economic suffering and opening a new chapter in Syria's international relations. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said the Syrian people are 'on the verge of more successes in the coming months,' emphasizing that 'Syria deserves a great status, a prosperous nation, and representation worthy of it on the international stage.' In an official statement, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the lifting of sanctions 'paves the way for a new phase of reconstruction and the restoration of Syria's global standing,' expressing readiness to cooperate with all nations 'based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.' The ministry reaffirmed Damascus' commitment to dialogue as a means of strengthening international relations and building balanced partnerships that serve the interests of all peoples. It also extended gratitude to those who 'stood by Syria during the years of blockade and hardship.' The statement emphasized that the coming phase will focus on rebuilding what was destroyed by the previous regime and advancing comprehensive stability and development across various sectors.
Kuwait Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Morocco, Syria to reopen embassies after Assad's fall
BGHDAD: This handout picture released by the media office of Iraq's prime minister shows Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani (left) arriving in Baghdad ahead of the 34th Arab League summit .-- AFP RABAT: Morocco said Saturday it would reopen its embassy in Damascus, signaling renewed support for Syria after the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar Al-Assad, as Damascus announced a similar move. The Moroccan decision was announced in a letter from King Mohammed VI to Syria's interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, read by the Moroccan foreign minister at an Arab League summit in Baghdad. The letter said Morocco backed the Syrian people 'in their quest for freedom, security, and stability'. A Syrian foreign ministry statement said top diplomat Asaad Al-Shaibani met with Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita on the sidelines of the Arab summit and that 'the two sides agreed to establish bilateral diplomatic relations'. Syria will also 'begin procedures to reopen its embassy in Rabat', the statement said. Rabat severed diplomatic ties with Damascus in 2012 amid the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 after Assad's violent crackdown on anti-government protests. Assad was toppled in December in a swift offensive by Islamist-led rebels. The 13-year civil war killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions. Meanwhile, Syria's defense minister has called on small armed groups that have yet to merge with the security apparatus to do so within 10 days or face unspecified measures, in a bid to consolidate state authority six months after Assad was toppled. A plethora of weapons outside government control has posed a challenge to interim President Al-Sharaa's efforts to establish control, as groups that both back him and oppose him remain armed. Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, in a statement late on Saturday, said 'military units' had now been integrated into 'a unified institutional framework', calling this a great achievement. 'We stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, in order to complete the efforts of unification and organization,' he said. He did not say which factions he was talking about. The statement did not seem aimed at the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a large Kurdish-led force in the northeast that signed an agreement with Sharaa earlier this year aimed at integration with state institutions. — Agencies
Al Etihad
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Syria is recovering, does not accept guardianship, Syrian FM tells Baghdad Summit
17 May 2025 19:18 BAGHDAD (WAM)Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani affirmed that Syria had begun serious steps toward national recovery, based on a firm belief that Syria is for all Syrians, with no place for marginalisation or the first time in history, Syria has embarked on a nascent experience of inclusive national dialogue that embraces diversity, guarantees representation, and preserves dignity. Syria does not accept guardianship, nor does it accept being an arena for other people's conflicts,'' said Asaad Al-Shaibani in his country's speech today at the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad.'We all followed positively US President Donald Trump's announcement to lift the sanctions imposed on our country, a decision we see as an important step on the path to national recovery and reconstruction and reflect a sincere Arab diplomatic effort that has yielded tangible results,' Al-Shaibani Minister added: "We extend our special thanks and gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkiye for their effective mediation, which came at a pivotal historical moment, adding: We also express our deep gratitude to the State of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. All of them, and to every Arab country that stood by Syria at this delicate stage."The minister pointed out: "Lifting the sanctions is not the end, but rather the beginning of a path that we hope will be paved with real cooperation and the integration of Arab efforts to achieve development, preserve Arab national security, and enhance stability in our region.""We are now putting the final touches to work toward a national parliament representing the entire Syrian spectrum, and toward a permanent constitution that enshrines rights, safeguards sovereignty, and establishes a state of law, not a state of chaos. "Any project aimed at weakening the Syrian state, or dividing it under any pretext, is a project that is categorically condemned and rejected by the Syrian state and people with all its components,'' he emphasised.
Arab News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
US meets Syria's top diplomat, urges action to protect Druze minority
WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday confirmed meeting Syria's top diplomat and called on the interim authorities to take action on concerns, as violence flares against the Druze minority. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani last Friday raised his new country's flag at the UN headquarters, marking a new chapter after the overthrowing in December of longtime ruler Bashar Assad. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed that US representatives met the Syrian delegation in New York on Tuesday. She said that the United States urged the post-Assad authorities to 'choose policies that reinforce stability,' without providing any assessment on progress. 'Any future normalization of relations or lifting of sanctions... will depend on the interim authority's actions and positive response to the specific confidence-building measures we have communicated,' Bruce told reporters. The demands were in line with those set out in December by the United States, then led by president Joe Biden, and include protecting minorities and preventing a role in Syria by Assad's ally Iran. Since the Islamist fighters toppled Assad, sectarian clashes have repeatedly flared. The spiritual leader of the Druze community on Thursday alleged a 'genocidal campaign' after two days of violence left 102 people dead. 'We urge the interim authorities to hold perpetrators of violence and civilian harm accountable for their actions and ensure the security of all Syrians,' Bruce said of the violence against Druze.
