Today, Tuesday, a German and a French delegation headed to the Syrian capital, Damascus, with the aim of holding meetings and talks with the new authorities in Syria, where the French flag was raised over the French embassy in Damascus for the first time since 2012.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “the French diplomatic delegation met in Damascus with representatives of the Syrian transitional authorities.”
The French Foreign Ministry said, “Our delegation urged the authorities in Damascus to adhere to the principles of the 2011 revolution for a comprehensive political transition and the protection of minorities.”
The French Foreign Ministry indicated that “the delegation confirmed to the authorities in Damascus our interest in issues of common security and the fight against ISIS and terrorist groups.”
It is noteworthy that “the French embassy in Syria was closed in 2012, and since then, the personal representative of the President of the Republic and the French Ambassador to Syria, François Sinémo, has assumed the representation of France in international negotiations aimed at finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict.”
On the other hand, the German Foreign Ministry told the Bild newspaper that the meeting in the Syrian capital will be “about a comprehensive transitional process in Syria and the protection of minorities.”
A spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry said, “Syria must not become a toy in the hands of foreign powers or an experiment for extremist forces. We know where Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham comes from and we know its origins in the ideology of Al-Qaeda. We are closely monitoring the activities of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the interim government appointed by “The Authority.”
The spokeswoman added that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham has been acting wisely so far, however, Germany and other Western countries will evaluate them by their actions, and any cooperation requires the protection of ethnic and religious minorities and respect for women’s rights.
Tehran: We will reopen our embassy in Syria as soon as its security is guaranteed
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “Tehran will not reopen its embassy in Damascus immediately, after it was vandalized during the attack by armed factions that led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said, “Reopening the embassy in Damascus requires preparations. We will continue this work as soon as appropriate conditions exist in terms of security,” stressing, “We will reopen our embassy in Syria as soon as the security of the embassy and its employees is guaranteed, and we prefer not to use the term imminent regarding opening.” Our embassy in Syria because this requires preparations.”
He expressed his hope that “the transitional phase in Syria will pass peacefully and that the rights of Syrian civilians and Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will be preserved,” explaining that “our presence in Syria was advisory and at the request of the Syrian government, and our departure from it was responsible.”
Baghaei stated, “Our relations are historic with Syria, and we want good for them, and our policies will continue in this direction,” noting that “there is an exaggeration in the size of Syria’s debts to Iran, and the bilateral treaties between us exist and will be transferred to the next government.”
He stated, “A Syrian transitional government has not been formed in the conventional sense, and we will determine our relationship with it at the appropriate time.”
Baqai stressed that “the international community must stop the Zionist entity’s attacks on the countries of the region, including Syria and Yemen,” noting that “the Zionist entity is attacking Syrian sovereignty and violating the ceasefire agreement.”
He added: “European countries must reconsider their policies that destabilize the security of the region, whether in sending terrorist elements to Syria in years past or today in supporting Israeli crimes in Gaza,” considering that “the time for them to determine the fate of the Middle East has passed and has become history.”
Suggest a correction