21 May, 2025
Thank you and welcome to the meeting Mr. Minister.
Like others I wish to thank Special Envoy Pedersen and Director Rajasingham for their briefings.
Mr. President,
Let me begin by welcoming the engagement of Syrian transitional authorities with the UN, including the participation of the interim Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani at the Council meeting last month. We hope that the transitional government will continue to engage constructively and accept UN’s support as they move through the challenging transition process.
Today, I wish to make the following points:
Firstly, we have witnessed initial steps towards reconciliation. However, this is just the beginning, and continued progress is essential as the situation is still extremely fragile. To move forward, we encourage sustained efforts toward a credible and genuinely inclusive political transition – one that ensures that all Syrians regardless of their gender, ethnical origin or religion or belief, can participate meaningfully in shaping the future of their country.
Secondly, we reiterate our call for an immediate end to violence across Syria. In this highly complex landscape, establishing a clear and coherent approach to security is vital. This must include the disarmament, demobilization, and integration of all armed groups into national security forces, as part of a broader, robust program of security sector reform.
Syria also needs further international assistance to tackle its stocks of chemical weapons.
We also urge Syrian interim authorities to ensure that no space is left for the resurgence of extremism and terrorism within their territory. We strongly condemn any foreign or domestic attempts to undermine Syria’s stability and prospects for a peaceful transition. We call on all actors – without exception – to fully respect Syria’s unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Thirdly, we urge all parties, including the transitional authorities, to ensure protection of all Syrians across all segments of society. It is imperative that the transitional authorities uphold the rights of all citizens without discrimination, maintain public order, assert control over armed groups, and ensure accountability for all perpetrators, in accordance with international law.
Ensuring comprehensive transitional justice is key for genuine reconciliation and lasting peace. There is no peace without justice, and no justice without the truth. We reaffirm that fight against impunity must go beyond the crimes committed by the Assad regime – true accountability must encompass justice for all victims, regardless of the perpetrator. Equally vital is the effort to uncover the fate of the missing persons.
This is one of the deepest wounds of any war and it needs to be resolved in order to build a resilient society at peace with itself. In this light we welcome the recent establishment of the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the National Commission for the Missing as important step towards comprehensive justice and sustainable peace in Syria. We call for their cooperation with the UN mechanisms and institutions, including the Commission of Inquiry (COI), the Independent Institution on Missing Persons (IIMP) and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM). It is also important that Syrian and international civil society organizations are associated with these efforts.
And lastly, in order to support the political process and tackling the manifold challenges the country is currently facing, the international community should enhance its efforts of supporting Syrians in rebuilding their country. Recovery and socio-economic reconstruction will be a crucial part of these efforts.
Against this background, yesterday, the foreign ministers of the EU member states agreed to lift all economic sanctions while maintaining those related to the Assad regime and to human rights violations. This decision, conditional on the progress on the ground, follows the easing of sanctions by the EU in February in the fields of energy, transport and reconstruction, within the overall aim to facilitate engagement with the country, its people and businesses.
In the meantime it remains vital that sufficient humanitarian aid reaches all Syrians in need. Humanitarian access must be safe and unhindered across the entire Syria and civilians, critical civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers must be protected.
Mr. President,
Syria faces tremendous political, economic and humanitarian challenges while trying to rebuild. Slovenia will continue to support the Syrian people in their efforts to achieve a better, more secure and resilient future.
I thank you.