 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Foreign relations of Syria . (Discuss) Proposed since December 2024. |
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The Syrian transitional government, established on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the Assad regime, has been working to establish diplomatic relations with various countries and international organizations. The government is led by Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir and aims to guide Syria through a transitional period until March 1, 2025.
The United States has expressed cautious optimism about the Syrian transitional government. While the U.S. has substantial interests in Syria, the new administration under President-elect Trump has indicated a potential shift in policy, including the possibility of withdrawing American troops from the region. [1]
Turkey has been a significant supporter of the Syrian opposition and continues to play a crucial role in the region. The Turkish government recognizes the Syrian transitional government and has pledged to support its efforts to stabilize the country.[ citation needed ]
France was one of the first Western countries to recognize the Syrian opposition and has maintained its support for the transitional government. French officials have emphasized the importance of a peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria.[ citation needed ]
Qatar has recognized the Syrian transitional government and hosts several of its institutions on its territory. The Qatari government has been a key ally in supporting the Syrian opposition's efforts to establish a new government.[ citation needed ]
The Arab League has had a complex relationship with the Syrian opposition. Initially, the League reserved Syria's seat for the opposition until 2014. Following the establishment of the Syrian transitional government, the Arab League has been in discussions about reinstating Syria's membership. [2]
The European Union recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in 2012. The EU continues to support the transitional government's efforts to bring stability and democracy to Syria.[ citation needed ]
The GCC recognized the Syrian National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in November 2012. The Council has been supportive of the transitional government's efforts to establish a stable and democratic Syria.[ citation needed ]
The Syrian transitional government faces significant challenges in uniting various factions and establishing a stable government. [3] The involvement of multiple factions, including the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkish-backed groups, adds complexity to the transitional period. The government's success will depend on its ability to manage these internal dynamics and gain international support. [4]
An exclusive mandate is a government's assertion of its legitimate authority over a certain territory, part of which another government controls with stable, de facto sovereignty. It is also known as a claim to sole representation or an exclusive authority claim. The concept was particularly important during the Cold War period when a number of states were divided on ideological grounds.
Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) (Syriac: ܡܛܟܣܬܐ ܐܬܘܪܝܬܐ ܕܝܡܩܪܛܝܬܐ; Arabic: المنظمة الآثورية الديمقراطية), also known as "Mtakasta/Mtakasto", is an Assyrian political party based in Syria. Founded in 1957, it is the oldest Assyrian political party in Syria, and was established as a national, political and democratic movement with the objectives of safeguarding the existence of the Assyrian people, as well as the realization of their legitimate national aspirations (political, cultural, administrative) in their historic homeland.
Although relations began in 1835, diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States are currently non-existent; they were suspended in 2012 after the onset of the Syrian Civil War. Priority issues between the two states include the Arab–Israeli conflict, the Golan Heights annexation, alleged state-sponsorship of terrorism, etc. As of 2025, the United States had begun to work with the new Syrian government after the collapse of the former regime under the Assad family.
Saudi Arabia and Turkey relations have long fluctuated between cooperation and alliance to enmity and distrust. Since the 19th century, the two nations have always had a complicated relationship. While Turkey and Saudi Arabia are major economic partners, the two have a tense political relationship, stemming partially from the historic enmity.
International reactions to the Syrian civil war ranged from support for the government to calls for the government to dissolve. The Arab League, United Nations and Western governments in 2011 quickly condemned the Syrian government's response to the protests which later evolved into the Syrian civil war as overly heavy-handed and violent. Many Middle Eastern governments initially expressed support for the government and its "security measures", but as the death toll mounted, especially in Hama, they switched to a more balanced approach, criticizing violence from both government and protesters. Russia and China vetoed two attempts at United Nations Security Council sanctions against the Syrian government.
The Syrian National Council, sometimes known as the Syrian National Transitional Council or the National Council of Syria, is a Syrian opposition coalition, based in Istanbul, Turkey, formed in August 2011 during the Syrian civil uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad.
Syria–Yemen relations refer to the relationship between Yemen and Syria. Yemen has an embassy in Damascus; while Syria has an embassy in Sanaa. Both are members of the Arab League. Both countries generally enjoy good relations and currently have ongoing civil wars, the Syrian Civil War and the Yemeni Civil War.
European Union–Syria relations are the bilateral relations between Syria and the European Union (EU). The European Union (EU) and Syria have signed two agreements between each other. However, due to the Syrian government's crack down on its opposition, the EU imposed an embargo on Syria. Since 2011, the EU has supported the opposition Syrian National Council and calls for the present government to stand down. Since 2012 it has recognised the opposition as legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. Should Turkey's accession to the EU take place, Syria will border the European Union.
The modern history of Syria begins with the termination of Ottoman control of Syria by French forces and the establishment of the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration during World War I. The short-lived Arab Kingdom of Syria emerged in 1920, which was however soon committed under the French Mandate, which produced the short-lived autonomous State of Aleppo, State of Damascus, Alawite State and Jabal al-Druze (state); the autonomies were transformed into the Mandatory Syrian Republic in 1930. Syrian Republic gained independence in April 1946. The Republic took part in the Arab-Israeli War and remained in a state of political instability during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Syrian National Council (SNC) is recognised by 6 UN members, the Republic of Kosovo and the European Union as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people in the midst of the Syrian civil war, with three of those being permanent members of the Security Council.
The Syrian opposition, also known as the Syrian revolutionaries, is an umbrella term for the rebel groups that opposed the Assad regime in Syria. In July 2011, at the beginning of the Syrian civil war, defectors from the Syrian Armed Forces formed the Free Syrian Army. In August 2011, political groups operating from abroad formed a coalition called the Syrian National Council. A broader organization, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), was formed in November 2012. In turn, the Coalition formed the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) which operated first as a government-in-exile and, from 2015, in certain zones of Syria. From 2016, the SIG was present in Turkish-occupied zones while the SNC operated from Istanbul. In 2017, the Islamist group Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), unaffiliated to the SNC, formed the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) in the areas it controlled. Rebel armed forces during the civil war have included the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, affiliated to the SIG, the Syrian Liberation Front, the National Front for Liberation, the Southern Operations Room and the Revolutionary Commando Army. Other groups that challenged Bashar al-Assad's rule during the civil war were the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and the jihadist organization known as the Islamic State.
The Syrian peace process is the ensemble of initiatives and plans to resolve the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 and spilled beyond its borders. The peace process was moderated by the Arab League, the UN Special Envoy on Syria, Russia and Western powers. The negotiating parties were representatives of the Syrian Ba'athist government and Syrian opposition. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was excluded at the insistence of Turkey. Radical Salafist forces including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have not engaged in any contacts on peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The Group of Friends of the Syrian People is an international diplomatic collective of countries and bodies convening periodically on the topic of Syria outside the U.N. Security Council. The collective was created in response to a Russian and Chinese veto on a Security Council resolution condemning Syria.
The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, commonly named the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), or the Syrian National Revolutionary Coalition (SNRC) is a political organization founded in Doha, Qatar, in November 2012 during the Syrian Civil War in an attempt to coalesce the various movements opposed to Bashar al-Assad's Ba'athist regime. Former imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Moaz al-Khatib, considered a moderate, was elected the president of the coalition, and resigned on 21 April 2013. Riad Seif and Suheir Atassi, both prominent democracy activists and the latter a secular human rights advocate, were elected vice presidents. The post of a third vice president will remain vacant for a Kurdish figure to be elected. Mustafa Sabbagh was elected as the coalition's secretary-general. The coalition has a council of 114 seats, though not all of them are filled.
The Syrian Interim Government (SIG) is an alternative government in Syria, formed by the umbrella opposition group, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNC) and claims to be the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. The Syrian Interim Government constitute a separate administration in Turkish-controlled territories in northern Syria and has partial authority there. The interim government's headquarters in Syria are located in the city of Azaz in Aleppo Governorate.
The Geneva II Conference on Syria was a United Nations-backed international peace conference on the future of Syria with the aim of ending the Syrian Civil War, by bringing together the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition to discuss the clear steps towards a transitional government for Syria with full executive powers. The conference took place on 22 January 2014 in Montreux, on 23–31 January 2014 in Geneva (Switzerland), and again on 10–15 February 2014.
The Government of National Accord was an interim government for Libya that was formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, a United Nations–led initiative, signed on 17 December 2015. The agreement was unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, which welcomed the formation of a Presidency Council for Libya and recognized the Government of National Accord as the sole legitimate executive authority in Libya. On 31 December 2015, Chairman of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa declared his support for the Libyan Political Agreement. The General National Congress has criticized the GNA on multiple fronts as biased in favor of its rival parliament the House of Representatives.
Qatar–Syria relations are the bilateral relations between Qatar and Syria. Qatar closed its Damascus embassy in 2011 until December 2024. Qatari government recognized National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and gave it the Syrian embassy in Doha. The relationship between both countries has changed significantly over the past few years, largely as a result of the civil war in Syria.
The Syrian–Turkish normalization referred to attempts to restore Syria–Turkey relations that had been damaged in the wake of the Syrian crisis. Turkey had been considered an ally of Syria prior to the year 2011. Diplomatic ties between the two nations were severed as of 26 March 2012.
Bahrain–Syria relations were established on 23 January 1975. Bahrain has an embassy in Damascus and Syria has an embassy in Manama. The two Arab nations share historical, cultural, and regional ties rooted in their membership in the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Official website of the Syrian Transitional Government
