Foreign relations of Syria
Member State of the Arab League |
---|
Ensuring national security, increasing influence among its Arab neighbours and securing the return of the Golan Heights, have been the primary goals of the Syrian Arab Republic's foreign policy. At many points in its history, Syria has seen tension with its neighbours, such as Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. Syria enjoyed an improvement in relations with several of the states in its region in the 21st century, prior to the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war. Until 2018, due to the Syrian civil war, the Syrian Arab Republic's government was partially isolated from the countries in the region and the wider international community. Diplomatic relations are severed with several countries, including Turkey, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, the UK, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, Qatar, Georgia, and Ukraine.[1] In 2011 and 2012, Syria was suspended from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Union for the Mediterranean. Syria is also a full member of the Arab League. Syria is a candidate state of the new Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).[2][3]
Syria continues to foster good relations with its traditional allies, Iran and Russia. Other countries that presently maintain good relations with Syria include China, North Korea, Vietnam,[4][5] Fiji, Singapore, Sri Lanka,[6] Laos,[7] Myanmar,[8] Cambodia,[9] Thailand,[10] Philippines,[11] India,[12][13][14] Pakistan,[15] Bangladesh,[16] Malaysia,[17] Indonesia[18] Brunei,[19] Armenia,[20] Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,[21] Kyrgyzstan,[22] Uzbekistan,[10] Turkmenistan,[10] Mongolia,[23] Tajikistan,[24] Greece, Cyprus, North Macedonia,[25] Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary,[26] Serbia, Montenegro,[27] Vatican City and Belarus.[28]
Syria does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel and South Korea, but has diplomatic relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[29] Syria also maintains relations with autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.[30]
On 26 February 2023, Bashar al-Assad met with Iraqi, Jordanian, Palestinian, Libyan, Egyptian and Emirati lawmakers, as well as representatives from Oman and Lebanon after more than a decade of isolation in the region. Arab states contributed significantly to the relief effort after the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake. A week before, Al-Assad travelled to Oman for his first foreign visit since the quake.[31] Syrian–Turkish normalization is also underway since 2022.
Diplomatic relations
[edit]List of countries which Syria maintains diplomatic relations with:
# | Country | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | United Kingdom | 9 February 1942[32] |
2 | Saudi Arabia | 26 June 1944[33] |
3 | Russia | 21 July 1944[34] |
— | United States (severed) | 17 November 1944[35] |
4 | Egypt | 1944[36] |
5 | Poland | 18 September 1945[37] |
6 | Chile | 22 October 1945[38] |
7 | Iraq | 8 November 1945[39] |
8 | Brazil | 13 November 1945[40][41] |
9 | Argentina | 23 November 1945[42] |
10 | Switzerland | 1945[43] |
— | Turkey (suspended) | 8 March 1946[44] |
11 | Belgium | 20 March 1946[45] |
12 | Venezuela | 14 June 1946[46] |
13 | France | 18 June 1946[47] |
14 | Philippines | 4 September 1946[48] |
15 | Czech Republic | 20 September 1946[49] |
16 | Uruguay | 11 October 1946[50] |
17 | Iran | 12 November 1946[39] |
18 | Serbia | 1946[51] |
19 | Greece | 24 June 1947[39] |
20 | Sweden | 24 June 1947[39] |
21 | Italy | 27 September 1947[52] |
22 | Spain | 3 April 1948[53][54] |
23 | Norway | 11 August 1948[55] |
24 | Jordan | 1948[56] |
25 | Indonesia | 27 February 1950[57] |
26 | India | May 1950[58] |
27 | Mexico | 20 August 1950[59] |
28 | Denmark | 1950[60] |
29 | Afghanistan | 18 November 1951[61] |
30 | Netherlands | 24 January 1952[62] |
31 | Austria | 7 February 1952[62] |
32 | Germany | 14 October 1952[63] |
— | Holy See | 21 February 1953[64] |
33 | Finland | 22 May 1953[65] |
34 | Luxembourg | 24 July 1953[66] |
35 | Japan | December 1953[67] |
36 | Bulgaria | 24 August 1954[68] |
37 | Hungary | 13 October 1954[69] |
38 | Romania | 9 August 1955[70] |
39 | Thailand | 10 January 1956[71] |
40 | Morocco | 2 June 1956[72] |
41 | Tunisia | 2 June 1956[72] |
42 | China | 1 August 1956[73] |
43 | Sudan | 28 January 1957[74] |
44 | Malaysia | 1958[75] |
45 | Cyprus | 25 October 1960[76] |
46 | Algeria | 27 August 1962[77] |
47 | Kuwait | 24 October 1963[78] |
48 | Libya | 1963[79] |
49 | Benin | 29 November 1964[80] |
50 | Cameroon | 29 November 1964[80] |
51 | Guinea | 29 November 1964[80] |
52 | Mali | 29 November 1964[80] |
53 | Sierra Leone | 29 November 1964[80] |
54 | Somalia | 13 December 1964[81] |
55 | Costa Rica | 15 December 1964[82] |
56 | Senegal | 21 January 1965[83] |
— | Canada (suspended) | 20 May 1965[84] |
57 | Yemen | 23 May 1965[85] |
58 | Cuba | 11 August 1965[86] |
59 | Nigeria | 30 September 1965[87] |
60 | Mauritania | 11 June 1966[88] |
61 | Vietnam | 21 July 1966[89] |
62 | North Korea | 25 July 1966[90] |
63 | Niger | 13 September 1966[91] |
64 | Tanzania | 13 September 1966[91] |
65 | Mongolia | 31 July 1967[92] |
66 | Sri Lanka | 10 May 1969[93] |
67 | Zambia | 15 May 1969[94] |
68 | Chad | 16 August 1969[95] |
69 | Nepal | 26 February 1970[96] |
70 | Mauritius | 22 May 1970[97] |
71 | Malta | 1970[98] |
72 | Rwanda | 10 February 1971[99] |
73 | Trinidad and Tobago | 11 January 1972[100] |
— | Qatar (suspended) | 19 January 1972[101] |
74 | United Arab Emirates | 19 January 1972[101] |
75 | Burundi | April 1972[102] |
76 | Myanmar | 15 June 1972[103] |
77 | Uganda | 28 June 1972[104] |
78 | Guyana | 19 June 1973[105] |
79 | Bangladesh | 14 September 1973[106] |
80 | Bahrain | 23 January 1975[107] |
81 | Portugal | 19 February 1975[108] |
82 | Australia | 12 May 1975[109] |
83 | Gabon | 18 July 1975[110] |
84 | Ireland | 18 July 1975[110] |
85 | Mozambique | 5 August 1975[111] |
86 | Peru | 16 August 1975[112] |
87 | Comoros | 25 November 1975[113] |
88 | Panama | 17 February 1976[114] |
89 | Suriname | 19 May 1976[115] |
90 | Republic of the Congo | 10 February 1977[116] |
91 | Djibouti | June 1977[117] |
92 | Albania | 1978[118] |
93 | Grenada | 23 January 1980[119] |
94 | Ethiopia | 26 August 1980[120] |
95 | Maldives | 1981[121] |
96 | Antigua and Barbuda | 18 April 1983[122] |
97 | Oman | 19 December 1987[123] |
98 | Colombia | 24 May 1988[124] |
— | State of Palestine | 22 January 1992[125] |
99 | Armenia | 6 March 1992[126] |
100 | Uzbekistan | 24 March 1992[127] |
101 | Turkmenistan | 26 March 1992[128] |
102 | Kazakhstan | 27 March 1992[129] |
103 | Azerbaijan | 28 March 1992[130] |
104 | Tajikistan | 29 March 1992[131] |
— | Ukraine (terminated) | 31 March 1992[132] |
105 | Slovakia | 1 January 1993[133] |
— | Georgia (terminated) | 18 May 1993[134] |
106 | Estonia | 19 May 1993[135] |
107 | Moldova | 20 May 1993[136] |
108 | Latvia | 25 May 1993[137] |
109 | Lithuania | 25 May 1993[138] |
110 | Kyrgyzstan | 28 May 1993[139] |
111 | Belarus | 26 August 1993[140] |
112 | Eritrea | 22 April 1994[141] |
113 | South Africa | 1 June 1994[142] |
114 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 December 1994[143] |
115 | Slovenia | 25 August 1997[144] |
116 | Croatia | 29 August 1997[145] |
117 | Angola | 10 February 1999[146] |
118 | Nicaragua | 14 February 1999[147] |
119 | Belize | 28 August 2001[146] |
120 | Iceland | 6 May 2004[146] |
121 | Paraguay | 13 December 2004[146] |
122 | Laos | 22 December 2004[146] |
123 | New Zealand | 5 December 2006[148] |
124 | Kenya | 23 April 2007[149] |
125 | Dominican Republic | 28 September 2007[150] |
126 | Singapore | 28 May 2008[146] |
127 | Lebanon | 15 October 2008[151] |
128 | Montenegro | 30 October 2008[146] |
129 | North Macedonia | 23 September 2010[152] |
130 | Cambodia | 15 October 2010[146] |
131 | Fiji | 23 December 2010[146] |
— | Abkhazia | 29 May 2018[153] |
— | South Ossetia | 22 July 2018[154][155][156] |
Dominica (suspended)[157] | 7 March 2022[146] | |
132 | Bolivia | 4 September 2023[158] |
133 | Brunei | Unknown |
134 | Ecuador | Unknown |
135 | Ghana | Unknown |
136 | Pakistan | Unknown |
Bilateral relations
[edit]Africa
[edit]Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Algeria | 27 August 1962 | See Algeria–Syria relations
|
Angola | 10 February 1999 |
|
Benin | 29 November 1964 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 29 November 1964.[162] |
Burundi | April 1972 | Both countries established diplomatic relations in April 1972.[102] |
Cameroon | 29 November 1964 | |
Chad | 16 August 1969 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 16 August 1969.[95] |
Comoros | 25 November 1975 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 25 November 1975.[113] |
Republic of Congo | 10 February 1977 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 10 February 1977.[116] |
Djibouti | June 1977 | Both countries established diplomatic relations in June 1977.[117] |
Egypt | 1944 | See Egypt–Syria relations
|
Eritrea | 22 April 1994 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 April 1994.[141] |
Ethiopia | 26 August 1980 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 26 August 1980.[120] |
Gabon | 18 July 1975 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 18 July 1975.[110] |
Guinea | 29 November 1964 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 29 November 1964.[162] |
Kenya | 23 April 2007 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 April 2007.[149] |
Libya | 1963 | See Libya–Syria relations
|
Mali | 29 November 1964 | |
Mauritania | 11 June 1966 |
|
Mauritius | 22 May 1970 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 May 1970.[97] |
Morocco | 2 June 1956 | See Morocco–Syria relations
|
Mozambique | 5 August 1975 |
|
Niger | 13 September 1966 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 September 1966.[91] |
Nigeria | 30 September 1965 | |
SADR | 15 April 1980 (recognition) | See See Western Sahara–Syria relations
|
Senegal | 21 January 1965 | |
Sierra Leone | 29 November 1964 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 29 November 1964.[162] |
Somalia | 13 December 1964 |
|
South Africa | 1 June 1994 | |
Sudan | 28 January 1957 | See Sudan–Syria relations
|
Tanzania | 13 September 1966 |
|
Tunisia | 2 June 1956 | See Syria–Tunisia relations
|
Uganda | 28 June 1972 | |
Zambia | 15 May 1969 |
|
Zimbabwe |
|
Americas
[edit]Syria has diplomatic relations with most Central and South American countries such as Antigua and Barbuda,[205] Argentina,[206] Bolivia,[207] Brazil,[208] Chile,[209] Cuba,[210][211] Ecuador,[212] El Salvador,[213] Grenada,[214] Guatemala,[215] Guyana,[216] Nicaragua,[217] Panama,[218] Paraguay,[219] Peru,[220] Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia,[221] Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname,[205] Uruguay[222] and Venezuela.[223]
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Antigua and Barbuda | 18 April 1983 | |
Argentina | 23 November 1945 | See Argentina–Syria relations
|
Belize | 28 August 2001 | |
Bolivia | 14 January 2010 |
|
Brazil | 13 November 1945 | See Brazil–Syria relations |
Canada | 20 May 1965 | See Canada–Syria relations
|
Chile | 22 October 1945 | See Chile–Syria relations |
Colombia | 24 May 1988 |
|
Costa Rica | 15 December 1964 |
|
Cuba | 11 August 1965[86] | See Cuba–Syria relations |
Dominican Republic | 2 October 2007 | |
Ecuador |
| |
Grenada | 23 January 1980 |
|
Guyana | 19 June 1973 |
|
Mexico | 20 August 1950 | See Mexico–Syria relations |
Nicaragua | 14 February 1999 | See Nicaragua–Syria relations |
Paraguay | 13 December 2004 |
|
Peru | 16 August 1975 |
|
Suriname | 18 October 1976 | |
Trinidad and Tobago | 11 January 1972 | |
United States | 17 November 1944 (relations suspended 2012) | See Syria–United States relations
|
Uruguay | 11 October 1946 |
|
Venezuela | 14 June 1946 | See Syria–Venezuela relations
|
Asia and Oceania
[edit]Syria's relations with the Arab world were strained by its support for Iran during the Iran–Iraq War, which began in 1980. With the end of the war in August 1988, Syria began a slow process of reintegration with the other Arab states. In 1989, it joined with the rest of the Arab world in readmitting Egypt to the 19th Arab League Summit at Casablanca.
This decision, prompted in part by Syria's need for Arab League support of its own position in Lebanon, marked the end of the Syrian-led opposition to Egypt and the 1977–79 Sadat initiatives toward Israel, as well as the Camp David Accords. It coincided with the end of the 10-year Arab subsidy to Syria and other front-line Arab countries pledged at Baghdad in 1978. Syria re-established full diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1989. In the 1990–1991 Gulf War, Syria joined other Arab states in the US-led multinational coalition against Iraq. In 1998, Syria began a slow rapprochement with Iraq, driven primarily by economic needs. In this period, Syria continued to play an active pan-Arab role, which intensified as the Israel-Palestine peace process collapsed in September 2000 with the start of the second Palestinian uprising (Intifada) against Israel. Though it voted in favor of UNSCR 1441 in 2002, Syria was against coalition military action in Iraq in 2003. However, the Syrian government accepted UNSCR 1483 (after being absent for the actual vote), which lifted sanctions on Iraq and established a framework to assist the Iraqi people in determining their political future and rebuilding their economy.
After start of the war in 2011, much of the Middle East condemned Syria's handling of the civil uprising, with only a few countries in the Middle East supporting Syria, most notably Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Abkhazia | 4 September 2018 | See Abkhazia–Syria relations
|
Afghanistan | 18 November 1951 | |
Armenia | 6 March 1992 | See Armenia–Syria relations
|
Australia | 12 May 1975 |
|
Azerbaijan | 28 March 1992 | See Azerbaijan-Syria relations |
Bahrain | 23 January 1975 | See Bahrain–Syria relations
|
Bangladesh | 14 September 1973 | See Bangladesh–Syria relations |
Cambodia | 15 October 2010 | |
China | 1 August 1956 | See China–Syria relations
See Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the relations with Syria |
Georgia | 18 May 1993 Relations severed on 6 May 2018[278] |
|
India | May 1950 | See India-Syria relations
|
Indonesia | 1949 | See Indonesia–Syria relations
|
Iran | 12 November 1946 | See Iran–Syria relations
|
Iraq | 8 November 1945 | See Iraq–Syria relations
|
Israel | See Israel–Syria relations
| |
Japan | December 1953 | See Japan–Syria relations |
Jordan | 1948 | See Jordan–Syria relations
|
Kazakhstan | 27 March 1992 |
|
Kuwait | 24 October 1963 | See Kuwait–Syria relations
|
Kyrgyzstan | 28 May 1993 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 28 May 1993.[310] |
Laos | 22 December 2004 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 December 2004[311] |
Lebanon | 15 October 2008[151] | See Lebanon-Syria relations Syria plays an important role in Lebanon by virtue of its history, size, power, and economy. Lebanon was part of Ottoman Syria until 1926. The presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon dates to 1976, when President Hafez Al-Assad intervened in the Lebanese civil war on behalf of Maronite Christians. Following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Syrian and Israeli forces clashed in eastern Lebanon. The late U.S. Ambassador Philip Habib negotiated a cease-fire in Lebanon and the subsequent evacuation of PLO fighters from West Beirut. However, Syrian opposition blocked implementation of the 17 May 1983 Lebanese-Israeli accord on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Following the February 1984 withdrawal of the UN Multinational Force from Beirut and the departure of most of Israel's forces from southern Lebanon a year later, Syria launched an unsuccessful initiative to reconcile warring Lebanese factions and establish a permanent cease-fire. Syria actively participated in the March–September 1989 fighting between the Christian Lebanese Forces and Muslim forces allied with Syria. In 1989, Syria endorsed the Charter of National Reconciliation, or "Taif Accord", a comprehensive plan for ending the Lebanese conflict negotiated under the auspices of Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Morocco. At the request of Lebanese President Hrawi, the Syrian military took joint action with the Lebanese Armed Forces on 13 October 1990, to oust rebel Gen. Michel Aoun who had defied efforts at reconciliation with the legitimate Government of Lebanon. The process of disarming and disbanding the many Lebanese militias began in earnest in early 1991. In May 1991, Lebanon and Syria signed the treaty of brotherhood, cooperation, and coordination called for in the Taif Accord, which is intended to provide the basis for many aspects of Syrian-Lebanese relations. The treaty provides the most explicit recognition to date by the Syrian Government of Lebanon's independence and sovereignty. According to the U.S. interpretation of the Taif Accord, Syria and Lebanon were to have decided on the redeployment of Syrian forces from Beirut and other coastal areas of Lebanon by September 1992. Israeli occupation of Lebanon until May 2000, the breakdown of peace negotiations between Syria and Israel that same year, and intensifying Arab/Israeli tensions since the start of the second Palestinian uprising in September 2000 have helped delay full implementation of the Taif Accords. The UN declared that Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon fulfilled the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 425. However, Syria and Lebanon claimed that UNSCR 425 had not been fully implemented because Israel did not withdraw from an area of the Golan Heights called Shebaa Farms, which had been occupied by Israel in 1967, and which Syria now claimed was part of Lebanon. The United Nations does not recognize this claim. However, Lebanese resistance groups such as Hezbollah use it to justify attacks against Israeli forces in that region, creating a potentially dangerous flashpoint along the Lebanon-Israeli border. In 2005, Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon after the assassination of Lebanese Sunni Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005. In December 2008, The Syrian Embassy was opened in Beirut for the first time in history since both countries gained their Independence during the 1940s. In March 2009, Lebanon followed and opened its embassy in Damascus. On 19 December 2009, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri visited Syria, and stayed in Damascus for three days meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad & breaking the ice between the two sides.[312] |
Malaysia | 1958 | See Malaysia–Syria relations
|
Mongolia | 31 July 1967 |
Bilateral relations between Mongolia and Syria (in Mongolian) |
Myanmar | 15 June 1972 |
|
New Zealand | 5 December 2006 |
|
North Korea | 25 July 1966 | See North Korea–Syria relations
|
Oman | 19 December 1987 | See Oman–Syria relations
|
Pakistan | 1948 | See Pakistan–Syria relations
|
Palestine | 22 January 1992 | See Palestine–Syria relations |
Philippines | 4 September 1946 | |
Qatar | 19 January 1972 | See Qatar–Syria relations
|
Saudi Arabia | 26 June 1944 | See Saudi Arabia–Syria relations
|
South Korea |
| |
South Ossetia | 22 July 2018 |
|
Sri Lanka | 10 May 1969 |
|
Tajikistan | 29 March 1992 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 29 March 1992.[338] |
Thailand | 10 January 1956 |
|
Turkey | 8 March 1946 (relations suspended 2011) | See Syria–Turkey relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 8 March 1946.[44] Diplomatic relations suspended since 2011. Syrian–Turkish relations have long been strained even though Turkey shares its longest common border with Syria and various other geographic, cultural, and historical links tie the two neighboring states together. This friction has been due to disputes including the self annexation of the Hatay Province to Turkey in 1939, water disputes resulting from the Southeastern Anatolia Project, and Syria's support for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), but relations have improved greatly since October 1998; when PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan was expelled by Syrian authorities. Syria had embassy in Ankara[339] and two consulates–general in Istanbul[340] and Gaziantep.[341] Both countries have been full members of the Union for the Mediterranean and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), although Syria's membership in the former was suspended in 2011[342][343][344] as well as from the latter in 2012.[345] Because of the Syrian civil war relations between Syria and Turkey have become increasingly tense. Turkey closed its embassy in Damascus on 26 March 2012,[346] as well as its consulate–general in Aleppo.[citation needed] In April 2012 it hosted the second meeting of the Friends of Syria, the Arab-Western coalition in support of the Syrian opposition.[346] Turkey has been taking in refugees from Syria, although abuse and injustice towards the Syrian refugees has been reported. Relations have further been degraded due to a serious incident that occurred with the Syrian downing of a Turkish military training flight in June 2012. Relations worsened further in May 2013 following a border incident involving two car bombs exploding in the town of Reyhanlı, Hatay Province, Turkey. At least 43 people were killed and 140 more were injured in the attack. The car bombs were left outside Reyhanlı's town hall and post office. The first exploded at around 13:45 local time (10:45 GMT)[40] and the second exploded about 15 minutes later. The issue that cemented the crack in the relations was Turkey's reported dealings with the Islamic State (an enemy of the Syrian government) in oil and weapons by various sources. A video surfacing of the Islamic State being unopposed by Turkish security as they traveled across the border between Syria, questions more of Turkey's alleged role of simply fighting terrorism.[citation needed] Turkish Military troops attacked the Kurdish backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on 8 October 2019, after the acting US President Donald Trump recalled US military troops from Syria the previous day. The US action to move troops out of the region was done so solely by the US president with stern disapproval by US military intelligence departments. |
Turkmenistan | 26 March 1992 |
|
United Arab Emirates | 19 January 1972 | See Syria–UAE relations
|
Uzbekistan | 24 March 1992 |
|
Vietnam | 21 July 1966 |
|
Yemen | 23 May 1965 | See Syria–Yemen relations
|
Europe
[edit]Czech Republic was the only European nation which never closed its embassy in Damascus throughout the Syrian civil war.[355] Greece and Cyprus re-established diplomatic relations with Syria and opened their embassies in 2021, making them the first EU countries to do so.[356] Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania appointed a chargé d'affaires to their diplomatic missions in the country.[355][357] In July 2024, Italy decided to re-establish relations with Syria, appoint its special envoy and chargé d'affaires to the country and reopen its embassy in Damascus.[358]
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Austria | 7 February 1952 | See Austria–Syria relations |
Belarus | 26 August 1993 | See Belarus–Syria relations |
Belgium | 20 March 1946 | See Belgium–Syria relations |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 December 1994 | |
Bulgaria | 24 August 1954 | See Bulgaria–Syria relations |
Croatia | 29 August 1997 | See Croatia–Syria relations
|
Cyprus | 1 February 1962 |
|
Czech Republic | 20 September 1946 |
|
Denmark | 6 July 1953 (relations suspended 2012) | See Denmark–Syria relations
|
Estonia | 19 May 1993 |
|
Finland | 22 May 1953 |
|
France | 18 June 1946 | See France–Syria relations
|
Germany | 14 October 1952[a] | See Germany–Syria relations
|
Greece | 24 June 1947 | See Greece–Syria relations
|
Holy See | 21 February 1953 | See Holy See–Syria relations
|
Hungary | 13 October 1954[388] | See Hungary–Syria relations |
Iceland | 6 May 2004 |
|
Ireland | 18 July 1975 | |
Italy | 27 September 1947 | See Italy–Syria relations
|
Latvia | 25 May 1993 |
|
Lithuania | 25 May 1993 |
|
Luxembourg | 24 July 1953 |
|
Moldova | 20 May 1993 | |
Montenegro | 30 October 2008 | |
Netherlands | 24 January 1952 | See Netherlands–Syria relations |
Norway | 11 August 1948 | |
North Macedonia | 23 September 2010 |
|
Poland | 18 September 1945 | |
Portugal | 19 February 1975 | |
Romania | 9 August 1955 | See Romania–Syria relations |
Russia | 25 July 1944 | See Russia–Syria relations
|
Serbia | 18 May 1946 | See Serbia–Syria relations
|
Slovakia | 1 January 1993 | |
Slovenia | 25 August 1997 |
|
Spain | 3 April 1948 | See Spain–Syria relations |
Sweden | 24 June 1947 |
|
Switzerland | 1945 | See Switzerland–Syria relations
|
Ukraine | 31 March 1992 Relations severed on 30 June 2022 | See Syria–Ukraine relations
|
United Kingdom | 21 May 1942 | See Syria–United Kingdom relations
|
Membership in international organizations
[edit]Syria is a member of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa,[436] Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development,[437] Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization, Arab League, Arab Monetary Fund, Arab Parliament, Arab States Broadcasting Union, ALBA (observer), Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization, Asian Parliamentary Assembly,[438] Association of Arab Universities, Bureau International des Expositions, Council of Arab Economic Unity, Customs Cooperation Council, Economic and Social Council, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, European Broadcasting Union (associate member),[439] FEAS, Food and Agriculture Organization, Group of 24, Group of 77, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, International Civil Aviation Organization,[440] International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions, International Chamber of Commerce, International Development Association,[441] Islamic Development Bank (suspended 2012),[345] International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Finance Corporation, International Labour Organization, International Monetary Fund, International Maritime Organization, Intelsat, Interpol,[442] International Olympic Committee, International Organization for Standardization, IRENA (acceding), International Solar Alliance, International Telecommunication Union, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (suspended 2012),[345] Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (joined 2013, suspended 2021),[443] OTIF, Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, UN, UN Commission on Human Rights, UN Conference on Trade and Development, UNESCO, UN Industrial Development Organization, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Union for the Mediterranean (suspended 2011),[343] Universal Postal Union, World Bank, World Court, World Customs Organization, World Federation of Trade Unions,[444] World Health Organization, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, World Intellectual Property Organization, World Meteorological Organization, World Tourism Organization and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Syria's two-year term as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council ended in December 2003.[445] Syria was elected to the executive of the World Health Organization in 2021.[446][447]
Arab League
[edit]Syria was temporarily suspended from the Arab League since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.[448] Six of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf recognised the Syrian National Coalition as Syria's only legitimate representative on 12 November 2012, but Iraq, Algeria and Lebanon prevented the Arab League from following suit.[449] On 26 March 2013, at the Arab league summit in Doha, the League recognised the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. The National Coalition was henceforth granted Damascus' seat at the summit.
This act of recognition was opposed by Algeria, Iraq and Lebanon.[450] On 9 March 2014, secretary general Nabil al-Arabi said that Syria's seat would remain vacant until the opposition completes the formation of its institutions.[451] In late 2018, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco began lobbying for Syria's return to the League.[330]
In December 2018, after American president Donald Trump announced the partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, some countries initiated reopening of their diplomatic relations with Syria. Diplomatic relations have returned with Iraq, Saudi Arabia (in 2023), Egypt (after 3 July 2013), Tunisia, UAE (after 2018), Jordan (after 2021),[452] Lebanon (after 2021),[453][454][455] Algeria,[456][457] Mauritania (after 2018),[206] Bahrain (after 2018),[274] Kuwait (after 2018),[458] Libya,[459] Oman,[460][461][462][463] Comoros, Sudan (after 2018),[464] Yemen,[465] Somalia[187] and Palestine.[466]
Following the visit of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the Arab League initiated the process of readmission of the Syrian Arab Republic to the organization,[467] while the United Arab Emirates reopened their embassy in Syria on 27 December,[468] and Bahrain[469] announced its intentions to reopen their embassies.
After the devastating 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, the Saudis, Emirati, Algerians, Iraqis and Jordanians contributed significantly to the relief effort. A week before, Al-Assad travelled to Oman for his first foreign visit since the quake.[31]
On 26 February 2023, President Bashar al-Assad had met with Iraqi, Jordanian, Palestinian, Libyan, Egyptian and Emirati speakers of legislative bodies, as well as representatives from Oman and Lebanon on behalf of Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, to discuss further cooperation between the Arab states and Syria.[470]
In early April 2023, Saudi Arabia had invited Syria's Assad to the Arab League summit, ending regional isolation. On 13 April 2023, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Jeddah to meet Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.[471] After frayed relations during the Syrian civil war, both nations now seek "a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves the unity, security and stability of Syria," according to the Saudi foreign ministry.[335]
On 15 April 2023, foreign ministers of GCC+3 format met in Jeddah and discussed the return of Syria to the regional organisation and so called Arab peace plan.[472]
On 18 April 2023, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan travelled to Damascus, met with Syrian President Assad and discussed further steps. The summit is scheduled for 19 May 2023.[473]
On 7 May 2023, at the meeting of the Council of the Arab League in Cairo composed of foreign ministers, was agreed to reinstate Syria's membership in the Arab League.[474]
Earlier, Kuwait and Qatar had opposed al-Assad's presence at the Arab League summit. The regional normalisation effort had caught the U.S. and its European allies by surprise, as they were opposing an "Arab-led political path" in solving the crisis. According to the statement, al-Assad would be allowed to the meeting on 19 May 2023, if "he wishes to do so". The new political process in Syria was described as the "Jordanian Initiative".[475]
Nevertheless, Syria remains under international sanctions after millions of Syrians had been displaced or sought refuge in Arab and European countries during the war. The changes to the relations between Syria and other Arab States would allow many of them to return to their homeland, according to the announcements made earlier by Jordanian and Saudi officials.[476]
International disputes
[edit]- Western Golan Heights with Israel;
- dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over Turkish water development plans for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
- separation of the Hatay State and subsequent incorporation into the Turkish state
- dispute with Turkey concerning the Turkish occupation of North Syria
- dispute with the United States over the American-led intervention and occupation of Syrian territory
- illicit drugs: a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and Western markets, as well as captagon[477]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Syria and Egypt formed together the United Arab Republic from 22 February 1958, to 28 September 1961. Syria regained its independence on 28 September 1961, and Egypt kept the name "United Arab Republic" until 1971.
See also
[edit]- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates (Syria)
- List of diplomatic missions in Syria
- List of diplomatic missions of Syria
- Foreign policy of the Bashar al-Assad administration
- Foreign relations of the Syrian Opposition
- International recognition of the Syrian National Council
- Sanctions against Syria
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