PARIS: World powers pledged to work for stability in Syria and the surrounding region after Islamist-led rebels toppled its long time ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Assad’s ally Moscow said Russian troops on their bases in Syria were on high alert but that there was “no serious threat” to them. US President-elect Donald Trump attributed the fall of Assad to losing the backing of Russia.
“His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer.”
National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said President Joe Biden was keeping a close eye on “extraordinary events” transpiring and remained in constant contact with regional partners.
Beijing “is closely following the development of the situation in Syria and hopes that Syria returns to stability as soon as possible”, the foreign ministry said.
Iran’s foreign ministry said it expects “friendly” relations with Syria to continue.
It said it would adopt “appropriate approaches” towards Syria in accordance with the behaviour of “effective actors” in Damascus.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country, which has supported rebel movements in Syria, was “ready to take responsibility for all that is necessary to heal Syria’s wounds and guarantee its unity, integrity and security”. The UN envoy for Syria called the rebel takeover “a watershed moment” for the country marred by nearly 14 years of civil war.
“Today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new (chapter) — one of peace, reconciliation, dignity and inclusion for all Syrians,” special envoy Geir Pedersen said. UN war crimes investigators urged those taking charge to ensure the “atrocities” committed under Assad’s regime are not repeated.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s “barbaric state” in Syria.
“I pay tribute to the Syrian people, to their courage, to their patience. In this moment of uncertainty, I send them my wishes for peace, freedom, and unity,” he wrote on X.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed the fall of Assad as “good news” and urged a political solution to stabilise the war-stricken country.
He said it was “essential that law and order be quickly re-established in Syria” and urged protection for all religious communities.
A senior United Arab Emirates official urged Syrians to collaborate in order to avert a spiral into chaos.
“We hope that the Syrians will work together, that we don’t just see another episode of impending chaos,” presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.
The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas hailed Assad’s fall as “a positive and long-awaited development”. She said “it also shows the weakness of Assad’s backers, Russia and Iran.”
She added that the EU’s priority was to “ensure security” in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Assad’s overthrow as the fall of a “central link in Iran’s axis of evil”.
He called it “a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah”, the militant group that Israel has been bombarding in Lebanon.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga welcomed Assad’s departure, saying that authoritarians who rely on support from Putin are destined to fall, while stressing Kyiv’s support for Syria’s people.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government congratulated the Syrian people and rebels, hoping a transition would lead to “an independent and service-oriented Islamic government” and a Syria “free from external
interference”.
Iraq urged respect for the “free will of all Syrians and emphasises that the security, territorial integrity and independence of Syria are of paramount importance,” government spokesman Basim Alawadi said in a statement.