LONDON, July 5. /TASS/. The UK is reestablishing diplomatic relations with Syria, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said during a visit to Damascus.
"The UK is reestablishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians," Lammy said in a statement which is published on the website of the UK government.
As the statement notes, the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Syria marks first by a UK Minister in 14 years and renews the UK and Syria’s diplomatic relationship.
During the visit, he was received by the president of the Arab Republic for the transitional period, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and also met with his counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani.
According to the Foreign Office statement, one of the central topics of Lammy's talks was "ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons" in Syria. For these purposes, London will allocate an additional 2 million pounds sterling ($2.7 million) to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In addition, the UK will send another 94.5 million pounds ($130 million) for humanitarian aid to the republic. During the visit, Lammy also met with representatives of the civil defense forces (formerly the White Helmets NGO) and female businesspeople.
A change in approach
Relations between the United Kingdom and Syria deteriorated sharply in 2011 after the start of the civil war in the Arab Republic. In this conflict, London took the side of the armed opposition. In January 2012, the kingdom evacuated its diplomats from Damascus.
In late November 2024, armed opposition groups launched a new large-scale offensive against the positions of the Syrian army. On December 8 of the same year, they entered Damascus, Bashar al-Assad resigned as president and left the country. At the end of January 2025, the new authorities announced that the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (recognized as terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation) Ahmed al-Sharaa would serve as acting president during the transition period.
In March, the UK began lifting sanctions against Syria. In particular, restrictions were lifted against a number of banks, including the central bank, as well as oil companies. Later, London excluded security agencies and local media from the sanctions list.