21 May 2025
Your Excellency Georgios Gerapetritis, Foreign Minister of Greece,
I welcome you presiding over today’s meeting. I thank Special Envoy Geir Pedersen and Director Ramesh Rajasingham for their briefings. I welcome the presence of the representatives of Syria, Iran, Qatar, the UAE, and Türkiye at today’s meeting.
President,
China has been closely following the developments in Syria and sincerely hopes to see Syria restore peace and stability at an early date with the help of the international community. Recently, the Syrian interim authorities have been actively interacting with the international community, striving to gain recognition and support. Despite concerns on some issues, the international community has responded positively and with goodwill to Syria’s efforts. We hope that the Syrian interim authorities will seize the opportunity and translate commitments into real actions to restore stability and development as soon as possible. Let me make three points.
First, to realize a broad and inclusive political transition is the shared expectation of the international community. China hopes that the relevant Syrian parties, guided by the principles set out in Council Resolution 2254, will act in the long-term interests of the country and the people and promote a broad and inclusive political transition in an orderly manner, on the basis of thorough consultation and communication. The UN should play an active role in this process, and all parties should support Special Envoy Pedersen in implementing his mandate. China is concerned about the recent cases of severe violence in southern Syria, which resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. The Syrian interim authorities should take effective measures to ease tensions and guarantee the safety, security, and rights of all Syrian people. We call for expediting investigations into the violence in Syria’s coastal areas, so as to arrive at conclusions that can withstand scrutiny.
Second, to combat foreign terrorist fighters is the shared concern of the international community. The presence of foreign terrorist fighters in Syria not only threatens Syria’s own security, but also poses serious challenges to regional and even global security and stability. To counter terrorism allows no double standards. Any negligence of duty and any condoning of terrorists will have serious consequences that will ultimately backfire. The strict implementation of relevant Council resolutions on counter-terrorism is an obligation under international law that should be fulfilled by all parties. We urge the Syrian interim authorities to immediately take all measures to combat all terrorist groups listed by the Council, including the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party. Syria should never become a safe haven for terrorism.
Third, to alleviate the humanitarian situation and kick-start economic reconstruction is the shared task for the international community. As we speak, the humanitarian situation on the ground is dire, humanitarian operations are severely underfunded, and approximately 40% of hospitals cannot operate normally, which is worrying. China’s consistent position is that relevant countries should lift illegal unilateral sanctions on Syria, and we hope that the Syrian interim authorities will, in the context of the changing situation, prioritize economic recovery and improvement of people’s livelihoods in their governance. The international community, especially traditional donors, needs to increase their assistance to Syria and make greater efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. In the long run, only through realizing self-driven development, can Syria’s humanitarian and economic difficulties be resolved fundamentally. Syria used to be a country enjoying sound economic development in the Middle East. We believe that with the help of the international community, the hardworking and talented Syrian people will soon be able to embark on the path of national reconstruction.
Finally, let me reiterate that Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity must be respected. The Golan Heights is universally recognized by the international community as occupied Syrian territory. The 1974 disengagement of forces agreement should be abided by and Israel should immediately stop its military operations against Syria.
Together with the international community, China will continue to play a constructive role in helping Syria achieve security, stability, and development at an early date.
Thank you, President.