No longer enemies: Ukraine and Syria build ties as Foreign Minister visits Damascus

Contents

• Soviet legacy in relations between Ukraine and Syria
• Civil war and the breakdown of relations
• A new page in relations

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha paid an unexpected visit to the Syrian capital. He met with former rebels and the leadership of the transitional Syrian administration now - its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaybani.

These are the first direct contacts between Ukraine and Syria since the overthrow of the Assad regime on December 8 this year. Now Ukraine is restoring full-fledged relations with Syria that were severed with the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as the Assad regime sided with the aggressor country.

Soviet legacy in relations between Ukraine and Syria

The Assad dynasty has ruled Syria since 1971, when Bashar's father, Hafez, seized power in a coup. Syria previously had close relations with the Soviet Union, but with Assad Sr. coming to power, they have reached a new level. For example, the Soviet naval base Tartus was established in Syria in 1977.

This bore fruit in the 90s, after the collapse of the USSR. On the one hand, Russia, as the successor to the Soviet Union, received the Soviet embassy and Tartus. On the other hand, Syria already knew about Kyiv. Diplomatic relations between Kyiv and Damascus were established immediately after Ukraine declared its independence in 1992.

“In Soviet times, Ukraine was responsible for cooperation with Syria and several other countries in the Middle East under an unwritten rule. So, there were high expectations in the 1990s. Ukraine did not fully utilize the opportunities it had after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Regardless, trade in grain and metals was quite active. The Syrian diaspora in Ukraine was very active,” Serhii Danilov, deputy director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, told RBC-Ukraine.

This state of affairs continued after Bashar al-Assad came to power. He became president of Syria after the death of his father in 2000. Two years later, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma even paid an official visit to Damascus. In turn, Bashar al-Assad came to Kyiv in 2010.

“In fact, before Assad finally took the Russian side, relations between the two countries were stable,” Danilov added.

Civil war and the breakdown of relations

In 2010-2011, a wave of revolutions, known as the Arab Spring, swept across the Middle East. Unlike Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen, Assad refused to make concessions to the protesters. As a result, a civil war broke out in Syria. Gradually, the Assad regime found itself in international isolation, but it found patrons who were willing to support it - Iran and Russia.

Relations between Ukraine and Syria finally froze in 2014, after Russia committed aggression against Ukraine in Crimea and Donbas. In the same year, Syrian representatives voted against a UN resolution in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity, thus cementing their status as Russian allies.

In 2016, the Ukrainian Embassy in Syria was evacuated to Lebanon over the security situation. The Syrian embassy in Ukraine remained open until 2018.

Kyiv officially broke off diplomatic relations with Syria only in June 2022, in response to the Assad regime's recognition of the “independence” of the Russian-occupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Ukraine also joined the trade embargo against Assad and announced sanctions.

A new page in relations

Ukraine has not officially maintained relations with the rebels in Syria. However, on December 11, the Washington Post reported that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which overthrew the Assad regime, had received assistance from Kyiv. Sources familiar with Ukraine's military activities abroad reported that the rebels were assisted by about 20 experienced UAV operators, who had 150 drones.

Ukraine's desire to establish diplomatic relations with the new Syrian government is based on several considerations.

“Syria is a very important Middle Eastern country. In a normal situation, it is always listened to. It is key to the security situation in the region. Furthermore, we have a common enemy with Syria - the Iranian regime. And the new Syrian leadership is quite unambiguous in articulating this position. And finally, it is a great power in the region, a great nation with which we need to have good relations,” Danilov explained to RBC-Ukraine.

Ukraine expects the new Syrian government to respect its territorial integrity and sovereignty. In return, Ukraine provides humanitarian aid under the Grain from Ukraine program and is ready to resume education for Syrian students, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha said during the visit.

“This is a symbolic contrast. Russia exported bombs, death, and destruction to Syria. Ukraine exports flour, guarantees of life and reconstruction,” Sybiha said at a briefing in Damascus.

Tomorrow, December 31, 500 tons of Ukrainian wheat flour will arrive in Syria. There are also other areas of possible cooperation between the two countries.

“Obviously, we can somehow contribute to documenting the crimes committed by the Assad regime. As a country that is also investigating war crimes, of Russian origin. This is a topic that will have a quick response from the citizens of Syria,” Danilov said.

Next on the agenda is the reopening of the diplomatic missions of Ukraine in Syria and Syria in Ukraine. For its part, Ukraine has shown its readiness for dialogue. It is now up to the new Syrian government.

Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, comments by deputy director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies Serhii Danilov, and articles by Reuters and the Washington Post.