UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy Visits Damascus for Talks with Syrian President, Top Officials
The talks marked a rare diplomatic engagement between Damascus and a senior UK official, underscoring a potential shift in the UK's diplomatic posture toward Syria amid changing regional dynamics.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Ahmad al-Sharaa, on Saturday received UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Damascus for high-level talks on bilateral relations and regional developments, according to Syria’s state news agency (SANA). The meeting was also attended by Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
During the discussions, both sides explored ways to strengthen cooperation across a range of fields and addressed shared concerns regarding regional and international issues. The talks marked a rare diplomatic engagement between Damascus and a senior UK official, underscoring a potential shift in the UK's diplomatic posture toward Syria amid changing regional dynamics.
"The UK is reestablishing diplomatic relations because 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 said in a statement, according to AFP.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister al-Shaibani held a separate bilateral meeting with Secretary Lammy. According to SANA, the two top diplomats reviewed the status of Syria–UK relations and discussed steps to enhance dialogue, economic cooperation, and collaboration on matters of mutual interest.
Back in 2011, the UK was among the earliest nations to recognize opposition factions as Syria's legitimate representatives, following President Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators that spiraled into a civil war.
In response, Britain imposed sanctions, shut down its embassy in Damascus, and later participated in military strikes targeting Assad’s forces.
The visit comes at a time of gradual diplomatic re-engagement between Syria and several Western and Arab countries after years of international isolation stemming from the Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011. While the UK has long been critical of the Syrian government and had scaled back diplomatic ties over the years, Lammy’s presence in Damascus signals cautious efforts to explore renewed dialogue—possibly in connection with humanitarian coordination, counterterrorism, and regional stability.
Syria remains a central geopolitical player in the Middle East, with its internal dynamics having far-reaching consequences for regional security, migration patterns, and international efforts to combat extremism. The country continues to face the challenge of post-war recovery and the impact of decades-long economic sanctions, while calls grow within the international community to find durable political solutions that uphold Syria's sovereignty and support its path to reconstruction and reintegration into the regional powers and the international community.
