Syria discussions are taking place in Riyadh, featuring participation from both Western and regional stakeholders

Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from Western and Middle Eastern nations are convening with Syria’s newly appointed foreign minister in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. This marks the first regional meeting concerning Syria since the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last month.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Riyadh on Sunday morning in anticipation of her discussions with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy is also expected to participate in the talks, as indicated by a statement from the UK Foreign Office.

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey are present in Riyadh for this meeting, along with representatives from the European Union and the United States. Additional high-ranking Arab and Western officials are anticipated to join as well.

A swift rebel offensive led to Assad’s removal on December 8, with the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) establishing a caretaker government that appointed Shibani as foreign minister.

The discussions in Riyadh are expected to be led by Arab nations and will concentrate on the subsequent actions the international community can undertake to assist the interim Syrian authorities, including strategies to hold the Assad regime accountable for the war crimes committed against the Syrian populace, according to the British statement.

The upcoming meeting marks the first occasion where both the new leadership of Syria and senior Western officials will convene, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead. This follows a gathering of high-ranking diplomats from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union that took place in Rome on Thursday, as well as a significant meeting hosted by Jordan in December, where regional stakeholders expressed their apprehensions regarding Syria’s new Islamist leadership and the necessary steps for gaining international recognition.

The conference on Sunday is particularly timely, as Syria’s new government is advocating for the lifting of Western sanctions to facilitate the flow of international funding into Damascus. Recently, Germany, Italy, and France have been advocating for a relaxation of EU sanctions on Syria; however, any final decision will require consensus from the entire bloc. Additionally, the United States announced on Monday a six-month sanctions exemption for transactions involving governing bodies in Syria, aimed at improving the delivery of humanitarian aid following the end of Assad’s regime.