Syria foreign minister says removing sanctions ‘key’ to restoring stability

Syria's new foreign minister has stated that after nearly 14 years of civil war, the country hopes to emulate the success of economic powerhouses like Singapore and Saudi Arabia to gradually begin the reconstruction process. He emphasized that Syria needs the help of the international community to support this new endeavor.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Assad Shaibani said, "We need the international community to help us with this new endeavor." He highlighted that the Syrian transitional government is already engaged in energy cooperation with several Gulf countries. He also pledged that Syria's new constitution will represent the interests of all communities in the country and reiterated calls for the easing of international sanctions that continue to severely damage the Syrian economy.

During a televised event with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Shaibani stated, "The biggest challenge is economic sanctions. We inherited many problems from the Assad regime... but lifting economic sanctions is key to Syria's stability." While some Western countries have begun to restore relations with Damascus after former President Bashar al-Assad was removed, they remain cautious about the country's new rulers led by the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Shaibani said, "They always ask us how we will guarantee the rights of this or that group, and how we will guarantee the rights of women – in Syria, we will all be under the constitution and the rule of law." He added that an expert committee will be established to draft the new constitution, a process that could take up to four years, and will include all different groups in Syria, including women.

Earlier this month, Shaibani visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, where he discussed strengthening ties and trade. During a recent visit to Damascus, the Prime Minister of Qatar stated that Qatar is committed to initially supplying 200 megawatts of electricity to Syria and gradually increasing the supply.