LONDON: Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, in Damascus on Wednesday.
The ministers discussed ways to boost cooperation between the two countries, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
The visit was Berendsen’s first to the Syrian Arab Republic since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. He was joined by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Asylum and Migration Bart van den Brink.
Syrian Airlines this week announced that it would operate its first flight since 2011 from Damascus to Amsterdam in the first week of July.
Several European foreign ministers have visited Syria in the past two years, including those from the UK, Germany, France and Italy.
The country has been keen to build closer security and diplomatic relationships with Europe following years of isolation.
Officials from the two sides have discussed migration issues, security coordination and ways to attract investment to rebuild the Syria’s dilapidated energy, tourism and banking sectors after 14 years of civil war.
