Sibiga spoke about the historic meeting with the new leader of Syria in Damascus

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga confirmed his visit to Damascus and meeting with the new leader of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa. UNN reports this with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

“Dear Mr. Minister, dear journalists, I am pleased to be in Damascus today. We have held detailed and fruitful talks with the leadership of the Syrian administration, its leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, as well as Prime Minister Mohamed al-Bashir and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Sheibani,” Sibiga said.

Sibiga said that this is a historic time for Syria and there is great hope for a revival after years of suffering.

“We sincerely wish success, security and prosperity to Syria, which is an original and ancient country, the cradle of civilization. I am here to convey a personal message from President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Syrian people: We stand with you. We are ready to help the Syrian people, because Ukraine is interested in a stable Syria and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation,” Sibiga said.

He noted that Russia exported bombs, death and destruction to Syria. Ukraine exports flour, guarantees of life and recovery.

“Under the influence of Moscow, Bashar al-Assad's regime recognized Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea and the temporary occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This forced Ukraine to break off diplomatic relations with the regime in 2022. We assume that the new Syria will be a state that respects international law, including the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. This will pave the way for the resumption of diplomatic relations, political dialogue and the work of diplomatic institutions,” Sibiga said.

The minister noted that Ukraine is in talks and is waiting for the Syrian side to take steps.

“The resumption of 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,” Sibiga said.

Mr. Sibiga noted that the Ukrainian side is convinced that in the strategic perspective, the elimination of the Russian presence in Syria will contribute to the stability of not only the Syrian state, but the entire Middle East and Africa. Even if it takes some time.

“Ukraine, like no other, understands the importance of security for development. We are ready to share our security experience. This is the first visit of an official delegation of Ukraine to Syria in many years. It demonstrates our readiness to open a new page in bilateral relations with Syria. We are talking about the possible creation of joint ventures, the establishment of industrial and food production, the exchange of technologies, and cooperation in the areas of cybersecurity and information protection. We want to see a larger share of Syrian goods in our imports. Even in these difficult times for Ukraine and Syria, I am optimistic about the future of Ukrainian-Syrian relations,” Sibiga said.

Recall 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish contacts with the new Syrian government. 

On December 27 , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced the first ministerial-level contacts with the new Syrian government .

Ukraine has sent 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria as part of the “Grain from Ukraine” program.