The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Transitional Government, Asaad al-Shaibani, met on Wednesday, June 11, with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in Oslo.
According to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), al-Shaibani discussed bilateral relations between Syria and Norway with his counterpart, as well as a number of mutual concerns shared by the two countries.
On Tuesday,al-Shaibani arrived in the Norwegian capital to participate in the Oslo Peace Conference, which brings together officials from various countries, including the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
During the conference, al-Shaibani also met with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, to discuss developments in Syria. Their conversation took place on the sidelines of the United Nations Oceans Conference, held in the French city of Nice.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that al-Shaibani and Barrot reviewed the latest developments in Syria and the course of the country’s political transition.
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In a statement published on its official Facebook page, the Ministry noted that the meeting covered several strategic issues of shared interest between Syria and France.
The discussions addressed current political, economic, and security developments in Syria, with particular focus on the continuing challenges in each of these areas, according to the Ministry.
The two ministers also discussed the status of ongoing negotiations between the Syrian Transitional Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) regarding the integration of the SDF into state institutions.
The Ministry further stated that the French Foreign Minister commended the pace and timeframe of the political process, as well as Syria’s ongoing commitment to cooperation with multilateral institutions, including United Nations agencies.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Foreign Minister expressed his gratitude to France for its role in lifting sanctions on Syria and for exploring new investment opportunities in the field of energy resources.
