The United Kingdom announced on Saturday (5) the restoration of diplomatic relations with Syria, marked by the visit of Foreign Minister David Lammy – the first British ministerial trip to the Arab country in 14 years.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detailed that Lammy visited Damascus, where he expressed British support to the Syrian government led by Ahmed Al-Shara, with whom he was in the Syrian capital.
At their meetings with Shara and Syrian Chancellor Asaad Al-Shaibani, British minister highlighted his government’s support to Syrian authorities to “fulfill his commitments to build a safer and more prosperous future for Syrians, increasing security throughout the region and in the United Kingdom.”
Lammy also reiterated the importance of an inclusive and representative political transition in Syria.
To mark the visit, the United Kingdom announced an additional package of 94.5 million pounds in urgent humanitarian aid to Syria.
“As the British prime minister to visit Syria since the fall of the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad, I saw firsthand the remarkable progress that the Syrians made in the reconstruction of their lives and their country,” Lammy said in the statement.
In the opinion of the British minister, after a decade of civil conflict, there is a “renewed hope” for Syrians and that is why diplomatic relations are being restored.
“A stable Syria is in the interest of the UK, reducing the risk of irregular migration, ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons, facing the threat of terrorism and performing the government change plan,” he added.
During the visit, Lammy met with Syrian Civil Defense volunteers, so -called white helmets, and was informed about the efforts to clean mines that did not explode and his emergency medical work.
He also promised an additional £ 2 million to allow the organization to ban chemical weapons (OPCW) manage Assad’s legacy.
For London, the fall of this regime represents an opportunity for Shara’s government to declare and totally destroy all remaining chemical weapons in the country.
From Syria, Lammy will now travel to Kuwait to strengthen bilateral ties with the state of the Gulf, where he will ask for greater market access opportunities for British companies.
