Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani will attend a donor summit in Brussels on March 17, making it the first time a representative of the Syrian government has formally participated in the annual conference, a European official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The announcement comes amid speculation over Syria’s participation in the summit, which is hosted by the European Union with the goal of “mobilizing international support for an inclusive, peaceful transition” in the war-torn country. While Syrian sources and two diplomats had initially suggested that interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa might make an appearance, the European official clarified that Sharaa was not expected to attend.
This year’s donor conference is the first to be held since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in December. In the past, the EU invited Syrian civil society representatives but did not extend official invitations to the Syrian state. Shibani’s presence therefore signals a notable shift in the international community’s approach to engaging with Syria’s interim government.