Press Release
Riyadh Meeting: A Western Colonial Gathering Under an Arab Cover

Participants in the Riyadh meeting, which was held for what they called coordinating efforts to support Syria and seeking to lift sanctions on it, on Sunday, 12 Dec 2025, included foreign ministers from Arab and Western countries, among them France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The meeting was divided into two parts; the first was attended by Arab ministers, while the second was attended by Western officials, alongside the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, as well as the US Under Secretary of State, John Bass.

It is clear that this meeting, like the Aqaba Conference about a month ago, is a colonial meeting disguised in Arab attire. The presence of leaders and representatives from colonial countries, headed by America., France, and Britain, who are the essence and substance of colonialism, can only be seen as a keen effort to safeguard their interests in Ash-Sham and to ensure that affairs remain under their control. Otherwise, they are the farthest from freedom, justice, and human rights. Their history of supporting the oppressive regime and remaining silent about its brutality and crimes is no longer hidden from anyone.

The presence of Arab leaders at this meeting was merely a cover for colonialism, a garment that conceals its flaws. How could they have any say or influence in the presence of their colonial masters? They have bound themselves to be loyal guards for these powers and their interests in our lands, ensuring that we remain subjugated and humiliated under their control.

Extending support and assistance to the people of Ash-Sham does not require meetings, conferences, or conditions as they claim. Rather, it is extortion and exerting pressure that necessitate such actions. This is evident in their statement: "Helping in rebuilding Syria as a united, independent, and secure Arab state for all its citizens, with no place for terrorism." What worries colonialism and its representatives is the possibility of Ash-Sham turning towards Islam and breaking away from the familiar norm of the nation-states sanctified by the Sykes-Picot boundaries they set for us, to prevent our unity and transformation.

Therefore, colonial powers work tirelessly, day and night, through their ministers, envoys, representatives, and local agents among rulers and organizations, engaging in continuous visits, meetings, and successive conferences. Their aim is to arrange a transitional process similar to those in Egypt and Tunisia before, ultimately leading to the reproduction of the previous regime.

What the West fears most is that Syria's sovereignty returns to its people and that its people return to living by Islam, as a system of governance and a way of life. They know that this would mark the end of their influence in our lands and the beginning of the renaissance and liberation of the great Islamic Ummah.

Therefore, Muslims in general, and the people of Ash-Sham in particular, must beware of relying on colonialism and its allies, for they are the enemy and the adversary, the root of the ailment and the source of affliction. Allah Almighty says:

[وَلاَ تَرْكَنُواْ إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاء ثُمَّ لاَ تُنصَرُونَ]

“And do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest you be touched by the Fire, and you would not have other than Allah any protectors; then you would not be helped.” [Hud:113]. They must not forget to hold firmly to the rope of Allah alone, as He says:

[إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللهُ فَلاَ غَالِبَ لَكُمْ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ وَعَلَى اللهِ فَلْيَتَوَكِّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ]

“If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after Him? And upon Allah let the believers rely.” [Aal-i-Imran:160].

The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir