ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) announced Saturday that London has reestablished diplomatic ties with Syria, coming as UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy traveled to Damascus to meet with Syrian leaders.

“Eight months on from the collapse of the [Bashar al-] Assad regime, the UK has officially re-established diplomatic relations with the Syrian Government following the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Damascus,” an FCDO statement on the matter said.

“The Foreign Secretary met President [Ahmed] Al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister [Asaad] al-Shaibani to reiterate the importance of an inclusive and representative political transition in Syria and offer continued UK support to the Syrian people,” the statement followed.

The first British ministerial visit to Syria in 14 years, Lammy’s sojourn coincided with the UK announcing a new £94.5 million (almost $130 million) aid package that “will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syrians, support Syria’s longer-term recovery through education and livelihoods, and support countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region.”

The British top diplomat said that he has “seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country,” adding that “after over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.”

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure, and prosperous future for all Syrians,” Lammy continued.

“A stable Syria is in the UK’s interests, reducing the risk of irregular migration, ensuring the destruction of chemical weapons, [and] tackling the threat of terrorism,” he concluded.

In a post on X, the Syrian foreign ministry said that Lammy and Shaibani discussed “bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance dialogue and cooperation in various fields of mutual interest.”

Syria TV, a state media outlet, said that Shaibani was invited to make an official visit to the UK by Lammy and that efforts would be made to reopen the Syrian embassy in London, which closed down in 2013. 

The UK was a key opponent of the Assad government, supporting rebel groups in Syria and participating in strikes on Syrian military targets in 2018 in retaliation for the use of chemical weapons against anti-Assad forces.

Upon the toppling of Assad in December, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he welcomed the deposing of the “barbaric regime” and called for political stability to prevail in the new Syria.