On March 17, the Syrian Transitional Government Foreign Minister Assad Hasan Al-Shiban will arrive in Brussels for the first time at the International Conference of Donors for Assistance to the Earth. This was reported by Reuters, citing sources.
The conference will be held for the 9th time, but the Syrian authorities are presented for the first time. During the reign of President Bashar al-Assad, official Damascus was not allowed to participate in the event, the funds raised by donor countries were transferred to various organizations, bypassing the government.
Issues of international support for Syria, the restoration of its economy and the formation of a new political system in the country are expected to be discussed at the conference.
The Syrian sources of Reuters also noted that Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa may attend the conference, but the European diplomat, whose name is said told that his presence in Brussels was expected.
Earlier, European Commission Head Ursula von der Heeni said that 33 billion euros were raised through conferences in donor countries since 2011 to support Syria. However, he did not explain which organizations were transferred to those funds.
