In 2002, PresidentBashar al-Assad made an official visit to the United Kingdom, the first Syrian leader to do so.[7] He and his wife Asma met with Queen Elizabeth II.[8]
Since the 2011 civil war, relations have deteriorated, and the UK was one of the first countries to recognise the opposition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.[1]
^ a bMacFarquhar, Neil; Mourtada, Hania (19 November 2012). "Britain Recognizes Syria Opposition Coalition". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^Black, Ian; McGreal, Chris (29 May 2012). "Syrian diplomats expelled from countries around the world". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
^Rothwell, James (2021-03-08). "Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his wife test positive for coronavirus". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
^"Accident English Electric Canberra PR.7 WH799, 06 Nov 1956". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
^Eason, Gary (2 August 2016). "The shooting down of Whisky Hotel 799". aerialcombat.co.uk. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
^Blair visits Syria
^Lauren Said-Moorhouse (2 June 2019). "From Assad to Xi, the Queen has met her fair share of controversial leaders". CNN. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
^"Syrian president meets the Queen". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
^Booth, Robert (2012-03-15). "Assad's father-in-law: the man at the heart of UK-Syrian relations". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
^"U.S. says air strikes cripple Syria chemical weapons program". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
^"UK imposes sanctions on key Assad allies after 'decade of brutality'". The Independent. 2021-03-15. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2021-04-22.