The UK government has issued new guidance to businesses highlighting what it describes as “opportunities” to export British arms and security equipment to Syria, signalling a significant shift in policy towards the country.
The document, published by the government’s trade department, states that “there is a demand in Syria for UK defence, cyber and physical security sector equipment and expertise”. It also points to “opportunities for UK businesses in Syria” and a “pipeline of new commercial opportunities to come” following the introduction of a new law in Damascus designed to encourage international investment.
Syria is now governed by a leadership drawn from former Al-Qaeda-linked militants after the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized power in December 2024. The country’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously founded and led Jabhat al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda’s former affiliate in Syria, during the war against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Syria’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, is a former spokesperson for al-Nusra and previously headed its media office.
UK defence firms seeking to secure contracts are likely to require approval from Syria’s defence minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, who once led the military wing of HTS. Under his leadership, the group carried out hundreds of military operations against Assad-era targets, including suicide bombings.
In July, Abu Qasra met Britain’s chief military adviser for the Middle East, Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, highlighting the growing level of engagement between the two sides.
The push to expand exports comes months after Syria’s defence ministry was accused by the UN Syria Commission of involvement in mass killings. More than 1,400 people from the Alawite community were killed during a pogrom in coastal and western central Syria in March.
Despite the controversy, the UK government is prioritising increased arms exports globally and recently announced a record £20bn in defence sales for 2025.
The new export guidance coincides with the launch of the Syrian-British Business Council (SBBC), which was unveiled at events in London and Damascus in November. Al-Shaibani attended the London launch during a visit that included a speech at the establishment think tank Chatham House.
A prominent role at the SBBC meeting in Damascus was played by former British diplomat Jon Wilks, who told Syrian media the council was “crucial for strengthening economic relations between Syria and Britain after years of decline”. He also referred to plans for a future trade conference in Damascus.
Wilks, now the senior policy adviser to the SBBC, previously served as Britain’s ambassador to Yemen, Iraq, Qatar and Oman. Between 2012 and 2014, he was appointed special representative to Syria by then prime minister David Cameron, a role often described at the time as “special envoy to the Syrian opposition”.
In November 2012, Wilks was quoted as saying: “There is an opportunity for Britain, for America, for Saudi Arabia, Jordan and like-minded allies to come together and try to help shape the opposition, outside Syria and inside Syria, and try to help them achieve their goal, which is our goal of a Syria without Assad.”
The UK government lifted some sanctions on Syria in April and de-proscribed HTS as a terrorist organisation in October. However, HTS remains subject to United Nations counter-terrorism sanctions, which the UK government acknowledges “continue to have effect in UK law”.
To navigate these restrictions, the government argues in its latest guidance that HTS and the Syrian government are “separate entities”. Yet official UK country notes on Syria have previously acknowledged that sources “may refer interchangeably to Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), or the interim or de facto government or authorities”.
Another section of the guidance states: “HMG is committed to ensuring that counter-terrorism legislation is applied in an effective manner that is proportionate to risk and without compromising other HMG priorities.” Critics say this suggests trade interests may be prioritised over UN sanctions.
While describing Syria as “a potentially high return market”, the guidance notes that some exports remain restricted, including goods and technology linked to “internal repression”.
The SBBC is expected to operate as a lobbying body, aiming to “strengthen the private sector in Syria” and to “analyse and communicate the political, diplomatic and security environment affecting business risk and opportunity”.
The council is co-chaired by Baroness Emma Nicholson, a Conservative peer and former party vice-chair under Margaret Thatcher, and Labour MP David Taylor, reflecting cross-party support for expanding commercial engagement with post-war Syria.
