First international flight lands in Syria since overthrow of Assad

The flight from Qatar landed around 1pm at Damascus International Airport, according to AFP correspondents, the first from the Gulf state in 13 years.

A Syrian Airlines flight also took off for Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, at around 11:45am.

“Today marks a new beginning,” airport director Anis Fallouh told AFP.

“We have started to welcome international flights taking off and landing in Damascus.”

Syria’s planes have been repainted to reflect the new national flag that has replaced the Baathist one used under Assad.

This is the first international commercial flight since 8 December, the date Damascus was captured by armed groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Syria’s new administration has been pushing to end the country’s isolation amid continuing concerns over governance and HTS’s former links to al-Qaeda.

During a visit to Qatar on Sunday, Syria’s new foreign minister said US sanctions imposed during the former government were hindering the country’s ability to recover swiftly from years of conflict and called on Washington to lift them.

“These sanctions constitute a barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery and development of the Syrian people who await services and partnerships from other countries,” Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said after meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister.

On Monday, the US announced that it would be softening some sanctions on Syria, with the Treasury issuing a general licence lasting six months authorising some transactions, including energy sales and incidental transactions.

The Treasury said that the move did not constitute the lifting of the sanctions, but was meant to ensure they “do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance”.

Shibani’s first foreign trip was to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, where he met with Saudi officials to discuss ways to support Syria’s political transition.

The Syrian foreign minister will also visit the United Arab Emirates and Jordan later this week.