Statement by the Governments of France, Syria, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States and the Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
"Following the ministerial meetings in Aqaba (14 December 2024) and Riyadh (12 January 2025) on the situation in Syria, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, jean-Noël Barrot, brought together in Paris the ministers and representatives of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Canada, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Iraq, the Italian Republic, Japan, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, the Republic of Lebanon, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations, the League of Arab States and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
"The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, took part in the discussions. He wanted the discussions launched in Aqaba and Riyadh and continued in Paris to offer the requisite support for the process undertaken by the Syrian transitional government in their pursuit to fully address the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom and dignity and contribute to the building of a free, inclusive, united, sovereign, stable and peaceful Syria that is fully integrated in its regional and global environment.
"The upcoming Conference organised by the European Union in Brussels in March will be an opportunity to further mobilise international efforts in this regard.
"The participants have expressed their wish to work together to:
- Ensure the success of the post-Assad transition in the framework of a process that must be Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, in the spirit of the fundamental principles of Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015), in order to enable the Syrian people to build a safer, more promising, prosperous and more peaceful future. The participants have noted the priorities set out by the Syrian President for the transitional period in his speech of 29 January: establish legal and legitimate governance; preserve civil peace, particularly by setting up a transitional justice system and by preventing individual score-settling; rebuild State institutions, first and foremost the armed forces and the security apparatus, so they may be put to work for the security of the Syrian people; revitalize the country's economy; restore Syria's position on the regional and international platforms, on the basis of solidarity, mutual respect, sovereignty and common interests.
- Support the convening of the National Dialogue Conference announced by President aI-Shara' on 30 January with representation of all sectors of the Syrian society as well as members of the Syrian diaspora abroad. The participants also committed to supporting inclusive dialogue mechanisms that the Syrian transitional government announced to set out until free and fair elections are held in Syria. Syria's partners welcomed the nomination by the Syrian transitional government of the national conference preparation committee on 12 February.
- Acknowledge and support the Syrian transitional government in their existing commitment to upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Syrians.
- Provide the Syrian transitional government the support it requires to ensure that terrorist groups cannot re-establish a safe haven in Syrian territory, in the fight against all forms of extremism and terrorism and to prevent the resurgence of terrorist organizations on Syrian soil. The participants condemned the many acts of terrorism that these groups continue to perpetrate in Syria.
- Cease all hostilities in Syria, support the unification of any remaining parts of Syrian territory through a negotiated political settlement, and call on all Syrian actors to fully commit to a Syrian national agenda.Ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity and unity of Syria, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and relevant UNSC resolutions, including UNSC resolution 350 (1974) on the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syrian Arab Republic and the establishment of the UN Disengagement Observer Force.
- Mobilize the international community to increase the volume and pace of the humanitarian assistance and increase the volume of early recovery and development aid delivered to Syria to meet the needs of the Syrian people, in the reconstruction of the country and to foster its regional and international reintegration. As the post Assad transitional framework progresses and associated reforms are implemented, the concerned countries highlighted the need to work towards the lifting, as soon as possible, of the economic sanctions on Syria that hamper the interests of the Syrian people, the recovery of Syrian economy and the political transition as part of a global effort to support peace and prosperity in Syria. Furthermore, they noted the importance of swiftly establishing a new coordination framework for assistance and the reconstruction of Syria, following on from the work conducted this morning in Paris among international and multilateral donors.
- Liaise with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Syrian transitional government to pursue exchanges on United Nations activities in Syria in order to increase humanitarian aid, technical assistance and early recovery support.
- Support Syrian-led efforts that ensure accountability and the fight against impunity as well as efforts to resolve cases of missing Syrians and foreign nationals. The participants affirmed their support to the implementation of a transitional justice system, while noting the requests made by representatives of Syrian civil society, who met in Paris on 12 February, and recognizing the work led by the national justice systems, international courts and dedicated mechanisms of the United Nations as well as the many civil society-led efforts to safeguard evidence and aid prosecution.
- Consider to establish a long-term 'Syrian Transition Support' group to ensure ongoing dialogue, sustain the international community's strategic coordination, and assist the Syrian people in realizing their legitimate aspirations, ending decades of division and isolation, and building a peaceful, prosperous, and stable future.
"The participants pointed out that the coming period of the transition will be of crucial relevance for safeguarding the principles mentioned below. They have agreed to do everything possible to ensure:
- A peaceful, credible, orderly and swift inclusive transition, in the spirit of the fundamental principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, so that a representative and inclusive governance that represents all components of Syrian society and includes women from the onset can be formed. Syria's partners called on the Syrian transitional government to establish and commit to a realistic, yet clear and transparent transition timeline. This includes constitutional reform and the organization of free and fair elections, when the conditions are met. The participants reaffirmed the important role the UN can play in supporting Syria's political transition and they reiterated their support for the efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy in this regard.
- Harmonious co-existence between Syria and its neighbours, based on mutual respect, sovereignty and respect for territorial integrity. The participants recalled that the Syrian territory must not represent a threat for any country, nor be a refuge for terrorists just as external states must not represent a threat to Syrians, nor be in support of any actors that may present a threat to Syrian sovereignty, peace and territorial integrity. They emphasized the importance of preserving the gains made after ten years of fighting Daesh, which continues to be a serious threat to international peace and security. They reasserted their intention to prevent the movement of terrorists and terrorist groups to and from Syria, owing to the serious threat they represent to Syria, its neighbours and the region.
- The promotion of the principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and the adoption of measures to address hate speech, racism, gender discrimination and extremism, in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2686.
- The upholding of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.
- The securing and safe destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles, in cooperation with the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention to which Syria is a party.
- Effective fighting against the production and the trafficking of Captagon and organized crime networks, including in liaison with the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime).
- Through coordination and liaising with the Syrian transitional government, support the unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access across the entire Syrian territory, and freedom of movement for displaced people in their own country.
- The facilitation of conditions necessary for the voluntary and lasting return of refugees including support for economic recovery, in line with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees's position on returns to Syria, and with a particular focus on recovering ownership rights.
- In coordination with the Syrian transitional government, facilitate access to prisons and, in accordance with relevant international law, build mechanisms that guarantee accountability and the fight against impunity, and launch efforts to resolve cases of missing Syrians and foreign nationals.
- Recognition of the importance of Syria's cultural heritage to the country's development. They are committed to supporting the maintenance, rehabilitation, conservation and the promotion of Syrian heritage.
- Protection of all foreign diplomatic facilities and staff."
