Today, a delegation from the Arab League arrived in Syria led by the Assistant Secretary-General of the League, Hossam Zaki, and met with the head of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani.

During a joint press conference in Damascus with the Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, on Saturday, January 18, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani stated that Syria looks forward to returning to the Arab League.

He added that Syria awaits support and appreciation from the Arab League for the Syrian people and the acceleration of the recovery process, affirming that Syria is part of the Arab League.

Al-Shibani considered that Syria will be an “active and influential side” in the League and supportive of its efforts, and it will be a “civilizational addition” to the League, restoring the image that had disappeared in recent years, and there will be harmony and interaction between Syria and the Arab League at all levels.

For his part, Hossam Zaki said that the League is coordinating with Syria regarding the call to lift the Western sanctions imposed on Damascus as they are “no longer justified.”

He added, “We are working with member states to activate Syria’s participation in the Arab League,” noting that Syria’s membership is valid after the lifting of its suspension since 2023.

Zaki pointed out that the Arab League has presented its vision regarding the future of Syria to the new Syrian administration.

Since the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, 2024, Syria has witnessed intense diplomatic activity aimed at normalizing the new Syrian administration’s relations with its Arab and regional surroundings and lifting the sanctions imposed on the country during the rule of the ousted Assad regime years ago.

Although European countries have promised to lift sanctions, and the United States has suspended some of them, this issue remains a priority for the new authorities, whose members regularly hold meetings with other countries to achieve this demand.

On January 13 of this year, six EU member states called for a temporary suspension of the sanctions imposed on Syria.

According to a document reviewed by Reuters at the time, the suspension of sanctions would be in the areas of transport, energy, and banking services.

The Arab League reinstated Syria to its seat in the League in May 2023.

The ousted regime’s president, Bashar al-Assad, returned to Syria’s seat in the League under a Jordanian initiative that set out a pathway to be followed in exchange for the return, but no progress has been made on this issue.

Despite the member states’ attempts to secure concessions from al-Assad following his return to the League, they have not achieved their goals in light of the Iranian influence that Syria was experiencing before the regime’s fall.