Riyadh ministerial and Arab leaders meeting calls for lifting Syria sanctions

Following talks on January 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister urged for the removal of sanctions on Syria. The discussions focused on "coordinating efforts to support Syria and work towards lifting sanctions imposed on it."

European foreign ministers have agreed to gather at the end of January to deliberate on lifting sanctions on Syria, as foreign ministers and senior diplomats from both Western nations and the Middle East met in Saudi Arabia for the first such regional gathering since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last month.

The meeting saw the participation of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, the UK, and Germany, along with deputy foreign ministers from the US and Italy.

Reports indicate that the EU foreign ministers will discuss the easing of sanctions on Syria at a meeting to be held in Brussels on January 27.

The EU seeks an inclusive government in Syria that avoids any signs of "radicalisation" and upholds the rights of women and other groups. The bloc emphasized that it could swiftly reverse any decisions regarding sanctions.