Italian FM arrives in Syria, meets de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa

Italy's foreign minister arrived in Damascus on Friday to meet with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

Antonio Tajani visited Damascus' Umayyad Mosque upon arrival and held a press conference with his counterpart al-Shaibani. Tajani is also expected to meet Al-Sharaa, whose Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) group led the toppling of Assad last December.

In the press conference Al-Shaibani announced that he will visit European countries soon.

Tajani's arrival in Syria follows visits by officials from the US, UK, France, Germany and the EU to discuss the situation in the country.

Tajani released a statement on X following the meeting saying that the representatives must coordinate their policies to ensure Syria has "a future of peace, stability and prosperity".

He also spoke of easing the sanctions imposed on the war-torn country when it was ruled by Bashar al-Assad.

"The sanctions absolutely must not hit the Syrian population," he said.

"They were imposed because there was a different regime. It's important to open discussions on the changed situation."

Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, said on X on Friday that the meeting saw the representatives reaffirm the need for an inclusive Syria that protects the country's minorities, also hinting that EU sanctions could be loosened or lifted.

"The EU could gradually ease sanctions provided there is tangible progress," Kallas added.

Western powers, including the United States and the European Union, imposed sanctions against Assad's government for his brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011, which later escalated into a full-scale conflict.

More than 13 years of conflict have killed in excess of half a million people, ravaged the economy, and pushed millions of people to flee their homes, including to Europe.

Unified command

Tajani's arrival comes amid attempts by the transitional government's defence ministry to integrate Syria's myriad armed opposition factions under a unified command.

On Friday, ministry of defence representatives met Salem al-Turki, a rebel commander based in the al-Tanf area who works closely with US forces.

In southern Syria, the transitional government is making efforts to collect weapons from fighters and civilians in the city of Sanamein after clashes between rival factions, according to the Syrian news site Enab Baladi. A 24-hour deadline being issued,

The fighting broke out over the weekend between a faction led by Mohsen al-Haymed who collaborated with the regime, and factions linked to rebel commander Walid al-Zahra, who was allegedly assassinated in 2020 by the regime.

Amid the attempts to consolidate the array of armed factions in Syria, the Syrian transitional government has engaged in negotiations with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In a written statement to AFP, commander of the SDF Mazloum Abdi said that the two agreed to reject any division of the country, and that the SDF is willing to work with the administration in Damascus.

The meetings come amid fighting between the SDF and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army in the country's north, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said killed 37 on Thursday.

On Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the transitional government should be given a chance to achieve a reconciliation with the SDF, but that without a solution Turkey would act against them.

Turkey views Kurdish organisations that make up the main component of the SDF, such as the People's Protection Units (YPG), as "terrorist" groups affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has fought against the Turkish state since the 1980s.