Swiss foreign minister says no immediate plan to ease Syria sanctions
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hasan AlShaibani attend the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss foreign minister says no immediate plan to ease Syria sanctions
Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis met the de facto foreign minister of Syria at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday. Following the meeting, Cassis said there was no immediate plan to ease sanctions against the transitional government.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
العربية
ar
وزير الخارجية السويسري: لا خطط فورية لتخفيف العقوبات المفروضة على سوريا
Syria’s acting foreign minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaybani is currently considered a terrorist in Switzerland. Foreign Minister Cassis told the media at the WEF in Davos that these and other sanctions would “certainly not” be eased for the time being.
He first wants to see facts from the transitional government, which emerged from the Islamist group HTS. Responses regarding an inclusive transition process were “very vague”, said Cassis.
Since the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, the new leadership in Syria has been trying to establish new diplomatic relations worldwide. Speaking at a televised event at the WEF with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, al-Shaybani told the audience that “the big challenge is economic sanctions. We inherited a lot of problems from the Assad regime… but removing economic sanctions is key for the stability of Syria”.
Cassis also met Israeli President Isaac Herzog to discuss the next steps in the ceasefire and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israel plans to implement laws banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) at the end of the month. Cassis told Israeli President that the new laws should not prevent the agency from continuing its work.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
This content was published on
On Saturday the Lake Geneva, Valais and Basel regions are expected to record the first tropical day of the year, with temperatures exceeding 30°C.
This content was published on
The Swiss economy saw the clouds that had gathered over its prospects lift somewhat in May. However, the KOF economic barometer is still below its long-term average.
Direct operations too dangerous in Swiss landslide valley
This content was published on
By Friday morning 365 people had been forced to leave their homes because of Wednesday's landslide in the Swiss village of Blatten.
Franco-Swiss raclette war set to be settled on Sunday
This content was published on
The battle for the world's largest raclette will be transformed on Sunday in Saint-Gingolph, canton Valais, into a raclette of friendship served at the border.
Flood risk threatens Swiss valley after ‘millennium event’ glacier collapse
This content was published on
Two days after a gigantic avalanche of ice, mud and debris buried much of the village of Blatten in canton Valais, the danger is not over.
Situation in Swiss landslide valley remains unstable
This content was published on
Authorities in Valais said on Thursday that it was still too dangerous to begin clear-up activities around the village of Blatten.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.