Ammon News - Syria's foreign minister will attend an international conference in Paris on Thursday as regional and Western powers seek to shield the country during its fragile transition amid ongoing instability across the region.

Asaad Hassan al-Shibani is leading a delegation for a first trip to the European Union since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and days after President Emmanuel Macron invited Syria's UN-sanctioned President Ahmed al-Sharaa to France.

"This Paris meeting in a way is to help create a protective bubble around the Syria crisis to give them time to resolve it by dissuading the bad losers from destabilising the country," a French official said.

Regional ministers, including from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Lebanon, will be joined with Western partners, although the United States will only have a low level diplomatic presence.

The meeting aims to coordinate efforts to bring a peaceful transition ensuring the country's sovereignty and security, mobilise Syria's main neighbours and partners to coordinate aid and economic support, the French foreign ministry said.

It will also discuss transitional justice and the fight against impunity. Reuters