Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to President Trump's announcement on 13 May 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of lifting UK sanctions on Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the announcement by President Trump of the US' intention to lift sanctions on Syria and look forward to further details of the timeline and process. On 24 April, we lifted sanctions on some sectors of the Syrian economy, including trade, energy production, transport and finance. This follows the removal in March of asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities, including the Central Bank of Syria. These changes will help facilitate essential investment into Syria and underscore the UK's commitment to supporting the Syrian people to rebuild their country and economy. A stable Syria is in the UK's national interest.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of consulting with Syrian civil society organisations on the steps required to ease sanctions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has long supported Syrian civil society, and we continue to do so. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers and senior officials, including the UK Special Representative for Syria, regularly meet civil society actors to discuss a range of issues, including the impact of sanctions. On 1 April, I met representatives from Syrian civil society to discuss how the international community can support Syria in building a better future, including through sanctions relief.
Asked by: Lord Wharton of Yarm (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to imposing sanctions and other measures against those found to be party to the persecution of minority groups in the new government of Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We do not comment on future designations as to do so lessens their potential impact. We keep our sanctions regime under close review and we will continue to judge the Syrian government by their actions.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Europe and (b) the United States on (i) the lifting of sanctions on Syria and (ii) reported mass killings of minorities in Latakia Governorate.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary met European and US counterparts 12-14 March at the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Canada, where they discussed next steps on sanctions and the recent violence in coastal areas of Syria. In my statement in Parliament last week, and in the Foreign Secretary's public statement on 9 March, we made clear that the interim authorities must ensure the protection of all Syrians. The UK has consistently advocated for an inclusive political transition and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of all Syrians, both publicly and as part of our engagement with international partners and the interim Syrian authorities.
On 6 March the UK Government revoked 24 designations under the Syrian sanctions regime. These changes will support the Syrian people in re-building their country and promote security and stability. We keep all our sanctions regimes under close review to ensure that they are used as a responsive tool.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Statement HCWS451 of 13 February 2025 on Syria Sanctions, if he will list the Syria Regulations he is planning to change; and what conditions he plans to apply to the Government of Syria in relation to the relaxation of sanctions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As my statement to the House on 10 March made clear, the interim Syrian authorities must ensure the protection of all Syrians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions, not their words.
On 6 March, the Government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people, including the Central Bank of Syria. This follows the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation publishing on 12 February a General Licence, allowing payments that support humanitarian assistance in Syria. Sanctions remain in place against the Assad family, their associates, and those complicit in committing atrocities.
We keep our sanctions under close review. Where there are changes to the Syria Regulations, Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to debate in line with the made affirmative procedure for sanctions Statutory Instruments.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reimpose restrictions on the Central Bank of Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As the Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories announced in Parliament on 13 February, we are making changes to the Syrian sanctions regulations to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and promote security and stability while maintaining sanctions for those responsible for abuses committed during the conflict. On 6 March, the Government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities, including the Central Bank of Syria, that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people. We keep our sanctions under close review to ensure they are used as a responsive tool. We do not comment on future designations as to do so lessens their potential impact.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what sanctions they intend to place on the government of Syria.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As the Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories announced in Parliament on 13 February, we are making changes to the Syrian sanctions regulations to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and promote security and stability while maintaining sanctions for those responsible for abuses committed during the conflict. On 6 March, the Government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities, including the Central Bank of Syria, that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people. We keep our sanctions under close review to ensure they are used as a responsive tool. We do not comment on future designations as to do so lessens their potential impact.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to adapt the Syria sanctions regime.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories announced in Parliament on 13 February, we are making changes to the Syrian sanctions regulations to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and promote security and stability. On 6 March, the Government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities, including the Central Bank of Syria, that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people. This follows the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation publishing on 12 February a General Licence, allowing payments that support humanitarian assistance in Syria. As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10th March, we keep our sanctions under close review to ensure they are used as a responsive tool. Where there are changes to the Syria Regulations, Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to debate in line with the made affirmative procedure for sanctions Statutory Instruments.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of relaxing restrictions on the (a) energy, (b) transport and (c) finance sectors in Syria on the UK's (i) foreign policy objectives and (ii) humanitarian efforts in the region.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As I said in my statement to the House on 10 March, the Government is committed to helping to support the Syrian people in re-building their country and to promoting security and stability. We are focusing amendments to the Syria sanctions regime on energy, transport and finance as sectors of Syria's economy where international expertise, trade and investment has the greatest potential to contribute to meeting the immediate needs of the Syrian people. We are clear with the interim authorities in Damascus that they have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions, not their words.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to support post-conflict stabilisation work in Syria.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The situation is Syria remains fluid and fragile. We want to see a more stable Syria and are working closely with international partners, including European partners, to this end. Following the Foreign Secretary's public statement on 9 March, I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March that the interim authorities have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrian civilians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition.
Our priorities are to support an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition that leads to a representative and non-sectarian government, tackle security threats, including from Daesh, and support economic recovery. On 6 March, we announced the relaxation of sanctions on some Syrian entities in the transport, energy and finance sectors, as part of our efforts to help the people of Syria to rebuild their country and economy.