Syrian foreign minister meets US religious freedom commission in Washington

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Saturday met in Washington, DC, with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

The meeting discussed “ways to promote dialogue and understanding among peoples and cultures,” Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on the US social media company X.

The ministry offered no additional details on the meeting.

On Friday, Shaibani met Friday with several lawmakers and senior officials, including US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack.

Shaibani arrived in Washington on Thursday, marking the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to the US in more than 25 years.

The visit came as Damascus seeks to expand diplomatic engagement abroad following years of isolation during the Syrian civil war and following the fall of the Bashar Assad regime.

Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in late 2024, ending the Ba'ath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963.

A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in Syria in January.