DOHA, January 12. /TASS/. Participants in the talk on Syria in Riyadh discussed ways to support the political process in Syria after the change of power in that country respecting its sovereignty and independence, the Saudi foreign ministry said after the meeting.
"Participants discussed support for the political transition process in Syria where Syrian political and public forces will be represented, with due respect to the rights of all Syrians," it said, adding that the participants expressed readiness to work to remove any challenges or sources of concern of all the parties through dialogue, providing support, advise and consultations, respecting Syria’s independence and sovereignty.
Participants in the meeting agreed that it is up to the Syrians to decide about the future of their country. They also discussed ways to helping Syrians restore their country as an independent state safe for all of its citizens.
Riyadh hosted Saudi-initiated talks on Syria, which were attended by Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, the minister of foreign affairs in Syria’s transitional government. Participants in the meeting also included top diplomats and officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas, and UN envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen. The talks were preceded by al-Shibani’s meeting with top diplomats from Arab countries.
Armed opposition units in Syria launched a large-scale offensive on government troops in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates in late November 2024. On December 8, they entered Damascus, while President Bashar Assad stepped down and fled the country. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who had led the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Idlib governorate, announced his appointment as head of Syria’s interim government, saying that the transitional period will last until March 1, 2025.