
Riyadh (UNA/SPA) - A statement was issued today by the presidency of the Riyadh meetings on Syria, the text of which is as follows: At the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and in continuation of the ministerial meetings hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the city of Aqaba on December 14, 2024, the foreign ministers and representatives of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Iraq, the Italian Republic, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the Lebanese Republic, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Spain, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria met today, January 12, 2025, in the city of Riyadh.
During the meeting, steps were discussed to support the brotherly Syrian people and provide them with all aid and support in this important stage of their history, and to help them rebuild Syria as a unified, independent and safe Arab state for all its citizens, with no place for terrorism, no violation of its sovereignty or aggression against its territorial integrity from any party.
The attendees also discussed their support for a Syrian political transitional process in which the Syrian political and social forces are represented, preserving the rights of all Syrians and with the participation of the various components of the Syrian people, and working to address any challenges or sources of concern for the various parties through dialogue and providing support, advice and counsel in a manner that respects Syria’s independence and sovereignty, taking into consideration that the future of Syria is the concern of the Syrians, stressing their support for the choices of the Syrian people and respect for their will.
The attendees also expressed their concern about Israel's incursion into the buffer zone with Syria and the adjacent sites in Mount Hermon and Quneitra Governorate, stressing the importance of respecting Syria's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that the meeting comes to coordinate efforts to support Syria and seek to lift sanctions on it, welcoming the decision of the United States of America to issue General License 24 regarding exemptions related to sanctions on Syria, calling on international parties to lift unilateral and international sanctions imposed on Syria, and to begin urgently providing all forms of humanitarian, economic, and capacity-building support for the Syrian state, which will create the appropriate environment for the return of Syrian refugees, stressing that the continuation of sanctions imposed on the former Syrian regime will hinder the aspirations of the Syrian people to achieve development, reconstruction, and stability, expressing the Kingdom's appreciation for the countries that announced the provision of humanitarian and development assistance to the Syrian people.
He also praised the positive steps taken by the new Syrian administration in the field of preserving state institutions, adopting a dialogue approach with the Syrian parties, its commitment to combating terrorism, and its announcement of the start of a political process that includes the various components of the Syrian people, in a way that ensures the stability of Syria and the preservation of its territorial integrity, and that Syria is not a source of threat to the security and stability of the countries of the region.
The Foreign Minister reiterated the Kingdom's condemnation of Israel's incursion into the buffer zone with Syria and the adjacent sites in Mount Hermon and Quneitra Governorate, expressing the Kingdom's rejection of this incursion as an occupation and aggression that violates international law and the disengagement agreement concluded between Syria and Israel in 1974, calling for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the occupied Syrian territories.
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