Britain re-establishing relations with Syria, announces David Lammy

Britain is re-establishing diplomatic relations with Syria after the country’s years-long civil war, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, has announced during a visit to the capital, Damascus.

“There is renewed hope for the Syrian people,” Lammy said in a statement. “It is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

Lammy’s visit to Syria is the first by a British minister in 14 years and is accompanied by a pledge of £94.5m for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery and help countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region.

The west has been slowly resetting its approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December after more than 13 years of war.

Just days ago, the US president, Donald Trump, signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, ending its isolation from the international financial system and helping it rebuild after the war.

Britain also eased its sanctions in April, unfreezing the assets of Syria’s central bank and 23 other entities, including banks and oil companies to encourage investments, though it kept in place those targeting members of the former regime.

A stable Syria will reduce the risk of “irregular migration”, ensure chemical weapons are destroyed, and tackle the threat of terrorism, Lammy said, after meeting his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, and the president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In those meetings, Lammy reiterated the importance of an “inclusive and representative political transition” in Syria and offered Britain’s continued support, the statement said.

Lammy is also due to travel to Kuwait, where regional security and strengthening bilateral relations will be top of the agenda. In addition, he is expected to announce a new partnership with the Gulf monarchy to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.