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DUBAI: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani arrived in Moscow on Thursday, leading a high-level delegation for an official visit aimed at reaffirming ties with Russia amid Syria’s political transition, state news agency SANA reported. 

The visit marks the first formal engagement between the two nations since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad last year, whose Moscow-backed government fell to a rapid rebel offensive that ended nearly five decades of Assad family rule. Assad reportedly fled to Russia following the collapse of his regime.

In his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Guest House, al-Shaibani said Syria seeks to build a “correct and sound relationship” with Moscow based on “cooperation and mutual respect.” He emphasized that the new leadership represents a vision of unity and reconstruction for Syria, which has faced years of conflict and instability.

“We are here today to represent the new Syria,” al-Shaibani said. “We have worked since December 8th to fill the political, civil, and service vacuum. We have preserved civil institutions and are working to reunite Syrians at home and abroad.”

Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s interest in supporting Syria during its transitional phase. “We are closely following the ongoing events in Syria. We sincerely hope the friendly Syrian people, with whom we have historically cooperative relations, will overcome current challenges,” he said.

Lavrov also recalled their earlier discussions in Turkey and expressed hope that President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who succeeded Assad, would attend the first Russian-Arab summit on October 15th.

While both sides emphasized continued cooperation, questions remain about the future of Russia’s military presence in Syria. Moscow’s naval base in Tartus and air base at Hmeimim, both located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, are its only official military outposts outside the former Soviet Union. It remains unclear whether the new Syrian government—once opposed by Russia during the civil war—will allow those facilities to remain operational.

Al-Shaibani acknowledged these challenges but described the moment as an opportunity to “build a united and strong Syria” and expressed hope that Moscow would stand by Damascus in this effort.

DUBAI/LONDON: Arab nations issued a unified call to end the violence in Gaza and the West Bank on Wednesday, reiterating their strongest endorsement yet of the Arab Peace Initiative as the only viable framework for regional peace and stability.

“What we’re seeing today in Gaza, the withdrawal of stability and security in the region, is indeed the outcome of the ongoing occupation,” said a representative of the Arab League, delivering a statement on behalf of the organization’s secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

“This is the price being paid by Palestinians, a price paid in blood.”

He described the toll as “an extremely high price that we are all paying for the system of apartheid and occupation to remain on this land,” adding that the League remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative, which was initially adopted in Beirut, 23 years ago.

“This vision hasn’t, however, been reciprocated. Rather, it has been countered by arrogance and nationalism based on religious sectarian views that will lead the region to an unknown future,” he said.

The comments came at the conclusion of the “High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution” at the UN headquarters in New York.

Oman echoed the sentiment, with its representative reaffirming that “comprehensive and lasting peace” must be grounded in the framework of international law, as outlined in the Arab Peace Initiative.

In a position similar to that adopted by other nations during the conference, the Omani representative accused Israel of unilaterally “eroding” the prospects for peace, in what he described as “defiance of the provisions of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.”

He continued: “The nature of the current Israeli government’s policies, as the most extreme in decades, further complicates the landscape and directly hampers all effort to relaunch the peace process.”

The Gulf Cooperation Council reiterated its position of support for a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, condemned the continuing Israeli aggression against Gaza, and demanded that it end.

The council’s representative said it also rejected Israeli settlement policies as a blatant violation, and called for full humanitarian access in Gaza and reconstruction of the territory to begin.

“True greatness is not based on power but on the ability to use power to serve justice,” he added. “It is time to turn this principle into (a) clear international position that recognizes (a) fully independent Palestinian state.”

The representative for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation joined the others in advocating for a two-state solution, and stressed the need for Israeli authorities to act in accordance with UN resolutions.

Israel is guilty of “systemic crimes including aggression, genocide, destruction, displacement, starvation and blockade on the Gaza Strip,” he added, in addition to “illegal policies of settlement expansion, annexation and ethnic cleansing.”

Moreover, Israel’s intention “to impose its so-called sovereignty over the West Bank, including the occupied city of Jerusalem … constitutes flagrant violations of international law and the relevant UN resolutions,” the representative said as he called for an end to all such actions.

The calls came as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the conflict in Gaza has reached “breaking point.” International pressure for a ceasefire agreement continues to mount but Israel has resisted calls to halt its military operations, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly moving ahead with plans to annex parts of Gaza if Hamas rejects a truce.

On Wednesday, sources said Israel had turned down the latest ceasefire proposal, citing its refusal to withdraw forces from key areas of the territory.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, described this week’s UN conference as “a political circus” against Israel.

“We’re seeing a detachment from reality, the spread of lies, and support for terrorism,” he wrote in a message posted on social media platform X.

The US special envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, was expected to arrive in Tel Aviv on Thursday for talks with Israeli officials. His visit comes as the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warns that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out” in Gaza.

Iran’s representative at the UN also spoke on the final day of the conference, condemning a “policy of appeasement” from the international community toward Israel, and calling for concrete action.

“In light of its continued defiance of the UN Charter, the Israeli regime must face targeted sanctions and suspension of its UN membership to protect the integrity and credibility of the organization,” the he said.

He further urged member states to press the Security Council to admit Palestine as a full member of the UN and insisted that “this process must not be obstructed by the United States.” Palestine currently has observer status at the UN.

A follow-up summit to this week’s conference is planned to take place during the UN General Assembly in September.