Member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reinstated Syria's voting rights on Thursday. This decision follows what officials described as a significant change in circumstances since the fall of the Assad regime and progress made by new leadership in addressing chemical weapons issues.
The global chemical weapons watchdog rewarded Damascus for engaging constructively and agreeing to destroy hidden stockpiles. The OPCW cited this change in circumstances as the primary reason for returning the voting rights.
Syria originally joined the OPCW in 2013, agreeing to disclose and hand over its toxic stockpile under pressure from Russia and the United States to avert air strikes by Washington and its allies. However, the country was later stripped of its rights in 2021.