LONDON/DAMASCUS: Britain said on Saturday it was reestablishing diplomatic relations with Syria after the country’s years-long civil war, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited its capital Damascus, pledging 94.5 million pounds ($129 million) in support.

“There is renewed hope for the Syrian people,” Lammy said in a statement. “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.”

The West has been slowly resetting its approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December following more than 13 years of war.

Lammy’s visit, the first by a British minister in 14 years, comes days after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, ending its isolation from the international financial system and helping it rebuild after the war.

British foreign secretary pledges $129 million in support

Britain also eased its sanctions in April, unfreezing the assets of Syria’s central bank and 23 other entities, including banks and oil companies to encourage investments, though it kept in place those targeting members of the former regime.

The financial support package announced on Saturday will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syria and support the country’s longer-term recovery through developing areas such as education, the government statement said.

A stable Syria will reduce the risk of “irregular migration”, ensure chemical weapons are destroyed, and tackle the threat of terrorism, Lammy said, after he met with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In those meetings, Lammy reiterated the importance of an “inclusive and representative political transition” in Syria and offered Britain’s continued support, the statement said.

Ties with rebels

In 2011, Britain was among the first countries to acknowledge rebel groups as the official Syrian government after then-president Bashar al-Assad’s crushing of pro-democracy protests plunged the country into civil war.

“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.

Photos released by Sharaa’s office showed him and Lammy meeting alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2025