Ukraine wants to restore diplomatic and trade relations with Syria

This article was originally published in English

Hundreds of tonnes of grain were sent to Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad as part of a humanitarian program launched by the Ukrainian leader.

Ukraine will help support Syria, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday, almost a month after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Damascus.

“We are preparing to restore diplomatic relations with Syria and cooperation within international organizations”declares the Ukrainian leader.

“We will communicate with the Europeans and the United States to ensure that support is as strong as possible”he explains in a message on Telegram. “More stability in the Middle East means more peace and trade for all partners”.

Volodymyr Zelensky ajoute que Kyiv also plans to double trade with Lebanon this year.

Restore diplomatic relations with Syria

The Ukrainian President said the goal of the “Grain From Ukraine” program was tooffer support and collaborate with the new Syrian government led by the HTC in Damascus. The program was implemented in November 2022 after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, 500 tons of wheat flour have already been sent to Syria as part of thehumanitarian initiative. Since the launch of this initiative, Ukraine has delivered more than 221,000 tons of agricultural products to countries in Africa and Asia.

Last week, Ukrainian leader says Kyiv has opportunity to help restore stability in Syria after years of Russian interference. He added that it would also strengthen Ukraine's quest for peace.

“It would be a good thing to restore our diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with Syria”he considers. “And I really hope that post-Assad Syria will respect international law, which Bashar al-Assad could not and did not want to do”.

Ukraine is a global producer and exporter of grains and oilseeds. The country has long sent agricultural products to the Middle East, but not to Syria, which imported food from Russia during the era of Bashar al-Assad.

Moscow remains a loyal ally of the former Syrian dictator and has granted him political asylum after he fled Damascus in December.

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