Scotland’s First Minister stresses the need for ‘stable solution’ in Syria

Scotland’s First Minister has said a stable solution is needed for Syria after the “welcome fall of a brutal regime”.

The Assad regime fell on Sunday as a rebel coalition seized control of the capital Damascus, after 13 years of civil war.

Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept to power as part of the rebel alliance, with the country’s former president Bashar Assad fleeing to Russia where he has been granted asylum.

First Minister John Swinney stressed the need for a stable solution to the situation.

Speaking on a visit to a hospital in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, he told the PA news agency: “There will be an enormous sense of relief that the Assad regime has fallen in Syria, its brutality is without doubt, and when we look at some of the images, and I was looking at some images of prisoners being released from the most appalling conditions imaginable, it illustrates the brutality of the Assad regime.

“There will of course be anxiety over what comes next and what I hope for, and what we should all work for, is stability in Syria and stability and peace in the Middle East.

“There are a whole variety of factors that need to be addressed there, a ceasefire in Gaza, we need to have political stability in Syria, so the importance of ensuring we have a stable solution is essential in the aftermath of the welcome fall of a brutal regime.”