David Lammy flies to Saudi Arabia for talks on Syria’s future

The Foreign Secretary will offer UK assistance on humanitarian issues.

David Lammy giving a speech from behind a lectern with the UK Government crest and flanked by Union flags — David Lammy has travelled to Saudi Arabia for talks on the future of Syria (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The Foreign Secretary has travelled to Saudi Arabia for talks on the future of Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime.

David Lammy is set to offer UK expertise on humanitarian co-ordination during talks with Arab countries, European allies and the interim Syrian government in Riyadh on Sunday.

The talks come one month after the fall of Bashar Assad’s authoritarian regime, which left the country in the hands of rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an organisation that is banned in the UK.

Before the visit, the Foreign Office said the Government was committed to a Syrian-led transition to create an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government, stressing the need to end ongoing hostilities in the north-east of the country and counter the threat posed by so-called Islamic State (IS) to UK national security.

Syrians sing and wave post-Assad flags during a concert by the recently returned 'revolutionary' singer Wasfi Maasrani in Damascus on January 8 — Syrians sing and wave post-Assad flags during a concert by the recently returned ‘revolutionary’ singer Wasfi Maasrani in Damascus on January 8 (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Mr Lammy said: “The international community must come together to stand behind the people of Syria as they build a democratic future and a diverse and modern country.

“We are united with our key partners from the region and beyond in ensuring the protection of civilians, access to aid and security within Syria and the wider region.

“Syrians deserve a bright and prosperous future – we are here today to support that.”

The UK has already provided more than £60 million of aid since the fall of the Assad regime.

While in Riyadh, Mr Lammy will also meet the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, for bilateral talks building on Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the country in December.

His visit also follows calls from incoming US counter-terrorism chief Sebastian Gorka for countries to repatriate members of IS being held in Syrian prison camps.

The intervention by the adviser to Donald Trump reopened the conversation about the fate of Shamima Begum, who travelled to IS-held territory a decade ago aged 15 and was subsequently stripped of her British citizenship.

But Mr Lammy was adamant that Ms Begum “will not be coming back to the UK”.