Ukraine's Foreign Minister reveals details of his visit to Damascus
Photo: Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Ahmed al-Sharaa, Leader of Syria (MFA of Ukraine)
During his visit to Damascus, Syria, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, negotiated with the Syrian administration's leadership, including the country's leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and others, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing Sybiha's statement following the talks in Syria.
According to Sybiha, during the visit, he held discussions with:
- The leadership of the Syrian administration,
- Syria's leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa,
- Prime Minister Mohamed al-Bashir,
- Syria's Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaybani.
The Minister added that Ukraine is ready to help the Syrian people, as it is interested in fostering cooperation between the two countries.
"We promised support for food security and are delivering on that promise in a short time frame. Tomorrow, more than twenty trucks will arrive in Syria, delivering 500 tons of Ukrainian flour as part of the 'Grain from Ukraine' humanitarian program," said the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that Kyiv is ready to deliver even more.
Also, Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Vitaliy Koval, is part of the delegation visiting Syria, which, according to Sybiha, shows Kyiv's serious intentions to develop cooperation in this area between the countries.
Readiness to restore diplomatic relations
Sybiha also noted that under Russian influence, Bashar al-Assad's regime recognized Russia's attempt to annex Crimea and the temporary occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In response, Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Syria.
However, if the new Syrian leadership respects international law, including Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, Kyiv is ready to restore diplomatic relations, dialogue, and the operation of diplomatic missions.
"We are ready and awaiting steps from the Syrian side. Restoring diplomatic presence will allow us to increase trade, cooperation in science and technology, culture, and education. In particular, today I announced that we are ready to resume the education of Syrian students in Ukraine," said Sybiha.
Bringing war criminals to justice
As the Minister pointed out, both Ukraine and Syria share pain because both nations suffered under criminal regimes in previous years. In this regard, Kyiv is also ready to share its experience in gathering evidence, conducting investigations, and working on bringing war criminals to justice for the crimes they have committed.
"This is the first official visit by a Ukrainian delegation to Syria in many years. It signals the willingness to open a new chapter in bilateral relations with Syria. This includes the potential creation of joint ventures, the establishment of industrial and food production, technology exchange, and cooperation in cybersecurity and information protection," the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
Relations between Syria and Ukraine
As mentioned above, relations between the two countries became strained due to the official support of the former Syrian regime for the Russian actions amidst the full-scale war. This included Damascus recognizing the "independence" of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in 2022.
Recently, the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which had ruled Syria for decades, was overthrown.
