Damascus, Sept. 8 (SANA)Syria and Germany’sKfWDevelopment Bank are seeking to accelerate joint health projects and address financing and implementation challenges as part of efforts to support the recovery of Syria’shealth sector.Health MinisterMusab al-Alidiscussed the projects with a KfW delegation headed by Anna-Christine Janke during a meeting at the ministry in Damascus on Monday.The talks focused on financing mechanisms, obstacles affecting ongoing projects and measures needed to speed up implementation and improve healthcare services.Al-Ali said accelerating the projects would support S…

Geneva, Sept. 8 (SANA)Qataron Tuesday called on the international community to continue providing political, economic and humanitarian support toSyriaand lift all sanctions imposed on the country, while welcoming efforts on transitional justice and missing persons. Qatar’s Permanent Representative to theUnited NationsOffice in Geneva, Hind Abdulrahman al-Muftah, made the remarks during the 63rd session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, according to the Qatar News Agency (QNA).Al-Muftah welcomed the new phase in Syria that provides an opportunity to build a future guaranteeing the rights of Sy…

Ankara, Sep. 8 (SANA)Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassanal-Shaibanimet Tuesday with Turkish Foreign Minister HakanFidanin the Turkish capital, Ankara. The meeting addressed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and reviewed the latest developments concerning the Syria-Türkiye Higher Coordination Council. The two ministers also discussed the latest developments in the region.

Damascus, Sep. 8 (SANA)Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raedal-Salehdiscussed Tuesday with a European Union delegation headed byHans Das, Deputy Director-General of the European Civil Protection Directorate-General, ways to strengthen cooperation in emergency response, disaster risk reduction and national capacities in mine action. The meeting, attended by representatives of the EU Delegation to Syria, focused on expanding the partnership and benefiting from European expertise in disaster management, early warning systems and emergency response. The discussions also addressed eff…

Damascus, Sept. 8 (SANA)SyriaandAzerbaijandiscussed ways to boost bilateral relations and expand cooperation in political, educational and economic fields, with a particular focus onenergyand gas. Nada al-Aswad, Director of the Afro-Asian and Oceania Department at theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, held talks in Damascus on Tuesday with Azerbaijan’s Chargé d’Affaires, Alnur Shah Huseynov. The two sides discussed strengthening communication and coordination between the two countries and exploring opportunities to broaden cooperation across key sectors. They also discussed mechan…

Damascus, Sep. 8 (SANA)Syria has strongly condemned attacks by theHouthimilitia targeting civilian and economic facilities in the Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, which injured dozens of civilians, including women and children. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Ministry ofForeign Affairsand Expatriates expressed Syria’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and affirmed its support for all measures taken by the Kingdom to protect its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter. Syria r…

Rome, Sep. 8 (SANA)A Syrian delegation headed by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor HindKabawat, with chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in Italy HusseinSabbagh, took part Tuesday in a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation among Diverse Religious Institutions and Leaders in the Arab Region, being held in Rome, Italy. The meeting was attended by a number of Italian religious and diplomatic figures, including Ambassador Antonio de Almeida Ribeiro, Acting Secretary-General of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre…

Damascus, Sept. 8 (SANA)Director of International Cooperation at theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and ExpatriatesQutaibaKadishand Hans Das, Deputy Director-General of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), discussed Tuesday in Damascus ways to strengthen coordination on humanitarian funding and projects. The two sides stressed the government’s commitment to humanitarian action and to the principles of neutrality and impartiality, with assistance directed toward the most urgent needs. Kadish stressed the importance of relying on accurate data when assessing humani…

Ankara, Sept. 8 (SANA)A delegation from the Expatriates and Refugees Department at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Adel al-Shammari, participated in the first Muslim Diaspora Forum for member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Ankara, Türkiye. The forum, dedicated to the theme From Roots to Routes,” was opened by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, with the participation of an OIC assistant secretary-general and representatives of several countries and institutions concerned with expatriate and diaspora affairs. Discussions focused on several ke…

Beijing, Sept. 8 (SANA)Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister SheikhMohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thanidiscussed efforts to reduce tensions in theMiddle Eastand issues of mutual interest during talks inBeijingon Monday.Xinhua News Agency quoted Li saying China is ready to work with Gulf countries and the international community to promote peace and stability in the region.“Qatar is an important strategic partner forChinain the Middle East,” Li said, reaffirming China’s support for efforts aimed at achieving peace, easing tensions resulting from the U.S.-Israeli-I…

Washington, Sept 08 (SANA)U.S. Special EnvoySteve Witkoffpraised recent talks inMoscow and Kyivon Monday, saying substantial progress had been made in efforts to advance further negotiations.In a post on X, Witkoff said: “Substantial progress has been made, including progress toward setting a date for additional trilateral talks.”Witkoff added that “U.S. President Donald Trump is working hard to stop the killing and work toward lasting peace.”Kremlin spokesmanDmitry Peskovsaid Russia does not rule out the possibility of resuming trilateralnegotiations on Ukraine, but stressed that it is too ea…

Tartous, Sept. 8 (SANA)Syria’sBanias Refineryis undergoing a major overhaul expected to raise its production capacity by about 50,000 barrels per day, boosting supplies of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products to the domestic market. TheSyrian Petroleum Company(SPC) aims to increase the refinery’s capacity from about 80,000 barrels per day to 130,000 barrels per day through maintenance and rehabilitation of key production units and infrastructure. SPC CEO Youssef Qablawi told SANA during a tour of the facility that the work was progressing ahead of schedule and represented the first …

Damascus, Sept. 9 (SANA)A research team at theSyrian Atomic Energy Commissionhas secured a patent for a locally developed light irradiation device designed for research into photodynamic therapy for cancer cells, the commission said Tuesday. The device can deliver different wavelengths and radiation doses, providing Syrian researchers with a locally manufactured tool for studying photodynamic therapy (PDT), a technique that uses light-sensitive compounds activated by specific wavelengths of light.The commission’s media office told SANA that the research team comprised Dr. Thaer Asaad, Dr. Raz…

Ankara, Sept. 9 (SANA)Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibanimet on Tuesday with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and IraqTom BarrackinAnkarafor talks on bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen relations between Syria and the United States in a manner that serves their mutual interests. Al-Shaibani and Barrack previously met in Istanbul in August, where they discussed bilateral relations, ways to boost them and priorities for Syria’s economic recovery.

Jeddah, Sept. 9 (SANA)Syria’s civil aviation chief Omar Hosari andSALSaudi Logistics Services CEO Omar Hariri discussed ways to expand cooperation and exchange expertise in air cargo handling and logistics, as Syria seeks to develop the efficiency of its aviation services. TheGeneral Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transportsaid Tuesday on Telegram that Hosari, accompanied by the authority’s deputy chiefs and the CEO of the Syrian Aviation Holding Company, visited SAL’s headquarters and its facility at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The Syrian delegation reviewed SAL’s o…

Washington, Sept 08 (SANA)Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed this week amid Iranian threats to target energy infrastructure in the region, while traffic through theBab al-Mandab Straitincreased.Reuters, citing data from Kpler, reported Tuesday that the number of cargo vessels passing throughthe Strait of Hormuzfell to seven on Monday, compared with eight vessels the previous day.In a related development,Goldman Sachsraised its forecasts forBrent crudeand West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices for December 2026 and for 2027, expecting shipping disruptions in the Middle East to c…

Qamishli, Sept. 8 (SANA)Qamishli International Airport is nearing a return to service as rehabilitation work enters its final stages, part of a broader plan to reconnect Syrian provinces to the country’s air transport network.A delegation from Syria’s General Authority ofCivil Aviationinspected the airport on Monday to assess progress and identify the final requirements needed to restore full operational readiness.The delegation, headed by Abdullah Darwish, director of the authority’s Support and Supply Directorate, included officials responsible for aviation safety, security and air navigatio…

Idlib, Sept. 8 (SANA)Children who underwent cochlear implant surgeries at al-Noor Hospital in Babisqa village in northwesternIdlib countrysidehave begun a new stage toward hearing and communication, following the activation and calibration of their external devices. The procedures, provided free of charge with support from the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) since August 14, mark the start of a months-long rehabilitation process in which children learn to recognize sounds, associate them with words and gradually develop speech and communication skills. Dr. Hamza al-Sayed Hassan, an ea…

Occupied Jerusalem, Sept. 8 (SANA)The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Nauru’s opening of an embassy in occupied Jerusalem, calling the move a violation of Palestinian rights and international resolutions that would further entrench the Israeli occupation. The ministry said in a statement posted on X that opening the embassy inoccupied Jerusalemchallenges the longstanding international consensus on the city and violates United Nations resolutions, particularly Security Council resolutions 476 and 478. It said the move encourages the Israeli occupation authorities to continue…

Capitals, Sept. 8 (SANA)The Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and the Arab Parliament on Tuesday strongly condemnedHouthi attackson civilian and economic sites across southernSaudi Arabia. GCCSecretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi described the attacks as acts of terrorism that could neither be justified nor tolerated, saying they posed a direct threat to regional and international peace and security. Albudaiwi urged the international community to take a firm position and hold those responsible and their supporters accountable. He reaffirmed the GCC states’ full soli…