BEIJING, December 13. /TASS/. The international community should work toward lifting longstanding unilateral sanctions on Syria and support the country’s territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated on Friday.
"The global community must take effective measures to protect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, honor its ethnic and religious traditions, and enable the Syrian people to determine their own future," Wang emphasized during a news conference following talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty in Beijing.
"All nations should unite to support Syria by eliminating illegal unilateral sanctions that have burdened the country for years," Wang continued.
The Chinese top diplomat highlighted that the international community could help alleviate Syria’s pressing humanitarian crisis.
"The situation in Syria has recently worsened significantly, and China is closely monitoring developments in the region," Wang said. "China has consistently adhered to a policy of friendship and cooperation with Syria, refraining from interfering in its domestic affairs and respecting the choices made by its people."
Wang further asserted that Beijing advocates for the quickest possible peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria.
"Syria must firmly oppose all forms of terrorism and extremism in its future," the Chinese minister added.
In late November, Syria’s armed opposition launched a major offensive against government forces. On December 8, opposition forces entered Damascus, prompting a withdrawal by the Syrian army.
President Bashar Assad subsequently resigned and left the country, issuing directives for a peaceful transition of power. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who has led the Syrian Salvation Government in Idlib Province since January 2024, announced his role as head of Syria’s interim government until March 1, 2025.
A Kremlin source later disclosed that Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow, where they were granted asylum by Russia on humanitarian grounds.