Minister Falconer article on Syria anniversary: December 2025
The Minister for the Middle East writes about change across Syria, one year on since the fall of the Assad regime.
December 8 2024 was a day of profound change for Syria and the region. This was, of course, the day which marked the end of the Assad regime’s brutal 54-year rule over Syria.
A year on, and the scars left by Bashar al-Assad and his father’s tyranny are still acutely felt across Syria. This was a regime which committed unrelenting and systematic violations against its own people. It acted with contempt for law and morality, using chemical weapons, torture and murder to silence those who opposed it.
It was a dictatorship upheld and promoted by the Russian military and Iranian money that enabled Assad’s horrific campaign against the Syrian people for over 13 years.
Yet when he had to flee his palace, built through the misery of ordinary Syrians, Assad and his family did so alone.
The difference in message I hear from the Syrians I meet today is stark. For many, it is time to look forward and capitalise on the profound opportunity that the collapse of the Assad regime has created for Syria and the region.
It is right that the UK is also taking this opportunity to reset our relationship with Syria by backing Syrians to build a secure, prosperous future.
We were the first Western country to send diplomats to Damascus to meet with the new Syrian authorities, led by president Ahmad al-Sharaa, just eight days after they took office. We wanted to see and hear for ourselves what this new Syria felt like.
Since then, the then foreign secretary David Lammy and I have both visited Damascus and welcomed Syrian delegations to the UK. These discussions were frank and open. The UK government has been clear that we would judge the new Syrian government by its actions, and that remains our position. In particular, we will continue to emphasise the importance that Syria’s future should be inclusive, representative, and non-sectarian, and that the rights of women and girls must be protected.
But what has been clear in all our discussions to date is that the new government is determined to open up its country to the world once again, attract investment and reduce the threat of terrorism. This is a world away from the Syria we had come to know under Assad’s regime, and it is right that we support those ambitions.
In April, we amended our Syria regulations to help facilitate essential recovery and investment, revoking specific sanctions on energy, transport, financial transactions and trade.
We’ve also provided over £2.8m in support to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to remove the legacy of Assad’s remaining chemical weapons programme across Syria, and keep Syrians safe.
This effort sits alongside the UK’s humanitarian assistance of £250m this year for Syria and its neighbours hosting Syrian refugees. This has provided life-saving humanitarian assistance to Syrians as well as support for education and livelihoods to help Syria’s road to recovery.
There remain significant challenges ahead for Syria: a suicide attack on a church in Damascus last June was a reminder of the enduring Isis threat. Israeli strikes in southern Syria undermine stability. And outbreaks of sectarian violence across Syria have deepened divisions. Accountability for human rights violations that took place under Assad must also not be forgotten.
But there are reasons to be optimistic, too. Sanctions relief and investment from international partners will give Syria’s economy a chance to start recovering. A new parliament – while appointed through indirect elections – is an initial step to widen the number of voices responsible for decision-making. And the Syrian government has demonstrated its commitment to tackling security threats in Syria, recently joining the Global Coalition Against Daesh (ISIS) and committing to dismantling Assad’s chemical weapons stockpiles once and for all.
A stable and flourishing Syria with investment and business opportunities is in all our interests. So too is an inclusive Syria that recognises the voices and needs of all citizens and a Syria that contributes to regional and global security.
The world owes it to the Syrian people to give them a chance and give them our support to help build the peace they deserve.
The UK wants this new Syria to succeed.