(12 Feb 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 12 February 2025
1. Wide of sign reading (English) "World Governments Summit"
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Asaad al-Shibani, Syria’s interim foreign minister:
"The Syrian people’s problem with Russia and Iran is because of their support for the Assad regime. Tehran was not the problem, and Moscow was not either. So any relationship built on mutual respect, non-interference in the affairs of the two countries, and respect for sovereignty will be welcomed by us."
3. Audience at summit
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Asaad al-Shibani, Syria’s interim foreign minister:
"As I said, the Syrian people have wounds and pain that they suffered at the hands of these two countries. In order to restore the relationship, the Syrian people must feel comfortable towards this relationship. We do not want to impose a new relationship on them (the people) when they do not feel reassured about it."
5. Audience at summit
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Asaad al-Shibani, Syria’s interim foreign minister:
"Syria gained its freedom and dignity after 14 very harsh years, and after 50 years of suffering and tyranny. I can say that we have now got rid of the biggest challenge and the biggest problem that was ridding the Syrian people of their freedom and dignity, which was the previous Syrian regime."
7. Audience at summit
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Asaad al-Shibani, Syria’s interim foreign minister:
"Every economist is aware of the big problem that the Syrian economy is facing, it’s linked to the economic sanctions imposed on Syria. They were not imposed on Syria, they were imposed on the former Syrian regime for committing crimes of torture and murder against the Syrian people, as we saw in Saydnaya prison and in the security branches. But after the fall of the regime, these sanctions should have been removed. However, they have not been removed until this moment."
9. Al-Shibani leaving stage
STORYLINE:
Syria’s relations with Iran and Russia remain an open wound for its people after those nations backed autocratic President Bashar Assad during the long civil war, the country’s new, interim foreign minister said Wednesday.
Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Asaad al-Shibani acknowledged some “positive” signs from both Moscow and Tehran but did not elaborate.
However, he underlined the new government in Damascus’ desire to improve relations with the West and get sanctions on Syria lifted so the country could start rebuilding after the ruinous, 14-year war.
“Syria has recovered its freedom and dignity" after decades of despotism, al-Shibani said.
Al-Shibani’s very attendance and address at the Dubai summit was remarkable, reflecting the efforts by the former rebels who ousted Assad in December to gain new friends on the international stage.
Qatar and Turkey, one-time rivals of the UAE over their support of Islamists in the region, had far-closer ties to the rebels who ultimately took over Damascus.
The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, had reopened its embassy in Syria in late 2018 as part of a thaw in relations.
Assad then visited the UAE in 2022 as Abu Dhabi argued he should be brought back in from the cold among Arab nations, despite the bloodshed by his forces and allies in Syria.
In the immediate hours following Assad’s ouster in December, a top UAE diplomat pointedly refused to discuss whether he was in the federation.
Assad was later confirmed to have fled and been given sanctuary in Russia, where Vladimir Putin has long been one of Assad’s closes allies.
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