Italy hopes Syria’s transition will be peaceful, says foreign minister

By Giovanni Legorano

ROME (AA) - Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Monday he is worried about the current situation in Syria, hoping the transition in the country will unfold in a peaceful way.

“We are very worried for Syria. The fall of the regime is an historical turn,” Tajani said in a wide-ranging speech to Italian ambassadors gathered in Rome. “[I hope] that the transition will continue on a peaceful path and safeguarding the rights of minorities, starting with the Christian one.”

He added that Italy “is working with the United Nations and our partners for a united country, which must not fall prey to extremism.”

The UN’s Syria envoy Geir Pedersen urged an inclusive Syrian transition based on a nine-year-old Security Council resolution in a meeting with the commander of Syria's new administration Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday.

Anti-regime group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led by Sharaa has emerged as the ruling power in Syria after toppling Bashar al-Assad just over a week ago.

Tajani said he will discuss with the foreign ministers of the US, France, Germany and UK about the situation in Syria, in a meeting of the so-called Quint group on Tuesday.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

He added that the G-7 will issue this afternoon a statement condemning North Korea’s support of Russia, by participating “in the military operations against Ukraine.” ​​​​​​​