Greece has been deeply alarmed over the renewed violence that broke out in Syria, also home to a Greek Orthodox community, in which over 1,000 people are reportedly killed, including many civilians.
“We are deeply alarmed by reports of violent clashes with numerous civilian casualties in Syria,” Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X. “We call on all sides to show responsibility and seek peaceful solutions, refraining form actions that further inflame tensions.”
The ministry’s statement also highlighted the urgency “for an inclusive political transition process and securing the protection of all ethnic and religious communities, in the spirit of national unity.”
On Sunday, March 9, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis held a telephone conversation with John X, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, discussing the latest developments in Syria. The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch is one of the largest Christian communities in Syria.
During the conversation, Gerapetritis, according to a statement on X, stressed once again the importance of ensuring the protection of all ethnic and religious groups “including Christian populations.”
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented more than 740 civilians killed in the coastal cities of Latakia, Jableh and Banias -strongholds of Assad’s former regime and home to Syria’s Alawite minority. A further 300 members of the security forces and remnants of the Assad regime are reported to have died in clashes. Local residents have described scenes of looting and mass killings, including of children.
The fighting erupted last week in Syria’s coastal northwestern region, after Assad loyalists -who refused to give up arms- ambushed Syrian security forces, killing dozens of them. Ghiath Dallah, a former brigadier general in Assad’s army, has announced a new rebellion against the current government, saying he was establishing the “Military Council for the Liberation of Syria.” Islamist forces, who now have formed Syria’s government, toppled Assad in December 2024.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria last year and expressed its hope that it will open the door to the return of millions of refugees. The Greek ministry had also called for a speedy transition to a democratic, representative government and the protection of religious minorities and monuments.
Gerapetritis had visited Damascus in February 2025, where he met with Syria’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa and outlined Greece’s willingness to support war-torn Syria’s institutional development.
Estimates of the number of Christians in Syria in 2022 range from less than 2% to around 2.5% of the total Syrian population. Most Syrians are members of either the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch (700,000) or the Syriac Orthodox Church. The vast majority of Catholics belong to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
Like other Syrian Christians exposed to western nationalism in the missionary schools, members of the Greek Orthodox Church were inspired by nationalist ideas and actively supported Arab nationalist movements. Syrian Christians were drawn to the idea of secular Arab nationalism in part as a means of ending institutionalized preference for Sunni Islam, and to resist colonialism.
While Catholic Uniate Christians, such as the Maronites, were a majority in some urban areas of Syria and Lebanon, Orthodox Christians were dispersed across the region and represented a small minority in each city.
