The UK has re-established diplomatic relations with Syria, marking a major shift in its foreign policy following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime eight months ago.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Damascus on Saturday, becoming the first British minister to do so in 14 years. He met Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to discuss regional security and Syria’s recovery.
“As the first UK minister to visit Syria since the fall of Assad’s brutal regime, I’ve seen firsthand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country,” Lammy said in a statement.
He pledged support for Syria’s political and economic transition, saying that long-term stability in the region serves Britain’s national interest.
During his visit, Lammy met with White Helmets civil defence volunteers and women-led businesses supported by UK-funded recovery programmes. The UK has announced a £94.5 million assistance package, including humanitarian aid, education support, and help for countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Lammy also called on the Syrian government to fully dismantle the remnants of Assad’s chemical weapons programme and stressed the need for an inclusive political transition.
“A stable Syria is in the UK’s interests, reducing the risk of irregular migration, ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons, tackling the threat of terrorism, and delivering the Government’s Plan for Change,” he added.
A video on U.S. President Donald Trump's social media showing Barack and Michelle Obama depicted as apes was deleted on Friday after widespread critic...
A senior Russian military intelligence officer has been rushed to hospital after being shot several times in Moscow, in the latest apparent assassinat...
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos arrived in Türkiye on Friday for high-level talks centred on the modernisation of the EU-Türkiye C...
Mexico is assessing whether it can resume fuel deliveries to Cuba without triggering U.S. tariffs, as both sides hold frequent talks and Havana warns ...
Iran and the United States opened nuclear talks in Oman on Friday, with Tehran calling the meeting a good start and both sides agreeing to continue di...
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
An attacker opened fire at the gates of a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Islamabad on Friday before detonating a suicide bomb that killed at least 31 people in the deadliest assault of its kind in the capital in more than ten years.
If Fars News Agency is to be believed, Iran's neighbours should be on alert. The agency, which reportedly mirrors the views of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned Azerbaijan and Türkiye that if the U.S. and Israel attack Iran, they will become "legitimate targets for Tehran."
Winter weather has brought air travel in the German capital to a complete halt, stranding thousands of passengers as severe icing conditions make runways and aircraft unsafe for operation and force authorities to shut down one of Europe’s key transport hubs.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed one of its largest ballistic missiles at a newly unveiled underground base on Wednesday (3 February), just two days ahead of mediated nuclear talks with the United States in Muscat, Oman.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Winter weather has brought air travel in the German capital to a complete halt, stranding thousands of passengers as severe icing conditions make runways and aircraft unsafe for operation and force authorities to shut down one of Europe’s key transport hubs.
Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed 24 Palestinians including seven children in Gaza on Wednesday (4 February), health officials said, the latest violence to undermine the nearly four-month-old ceasefire.
A video on U.S. President Donald Trump's social media showing Barack and Michelle Obama depicted as apes was deleted on Friday after widespread criticism.
European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos arrived in Türkiye on Friday for high-level talks centred on the modernisation of the EU-Türkiye Customs Union, which both sides have described as vital to the future of bilateral relations.
Mexico is assessing whether it can resume fuel deliveries to Cuba without triggering U.S. tariffs, as both sides hold frequent talks and Havana warns of worsening shortages.
After months of heightened tension following their war in June 2025 and weeks of escalating mutual threats, Iran and the United States resumed fragile nuclear diplomacy on Friday, as negotiators from both sides held critical mediated talks in Muscat, Oman.
The United States has accused Beijing of conducting a covert nuclear test in 2020, adding fresh strain to already fraught relations as Washington presses for a broader arms control treaty to include China as well as Russia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment