Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, who arrived in Damascus on a visit, conveyed a message from head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy about support for the Syrian people.

"I am here to personally convey to the Syrian people a message from President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it sounds very clear: we are with you, we are ready to help the Syrian people. Ukraine is interested in a stable Syria and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation," he said at a briefing in Damascus on Monday.

The Foreign Minister pointed out that this is the first official visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Syria in a long time. According to him, this indicates "the readiness to open a new page in bilateral relations between our countries and peoples." In particular, we are talking about the possible creation of joint enterprises, the establishment of production of goods, the exchange of technologies, interaction in the field of cybersecurity, and information protection.

Sybiha stated that Ukraine is ready to share with Syria its experience in the field of security, as well as its experience in collecting legal evidence, investigation, and working to bring war criminals to justice for the crimes they have committed.

"When we in Ukraine saw the horrific footage from the Saydnaya prison, we immediately remembered the dungeons of the territories of Ukraine liberated from Russian occupation," the minister added.

He emphasized that the Russian and Assad regimes supported each other because they are based on violence and torture.

"And we are convinced that in the strategic perspective, eliminating the Russian presence in Syria will contribute to the stability of not only the Syrian state, but also the entire Middle East and Africa, even if it takes some time," Sybiha stated.

Earlier, the Arabic-language news channel Al-Arabiya reported that Sybiha met in Damascus with the head of the new Syrian administration and the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement, Ahmed al-Sharaa.