New Constitution Must Guarantee Equality and Minority Participation: Syrian Minister

She said such provisions would be crucial to rebuilding trust in state institutions and curbing emigration, particularly among Christians.

Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) in remarks carried by Arab News, Kabawat stressed that Syria needs a constitution that encompasses all of its people. Her comments come as the People's Assembly, established following Ahmad al-Sharaa's rise to power, prepares to draft a new founding charter for the country.

Kabawat is the only woman and the only Christian in the Syrian cabinet, which was formed following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad. She said Syria's constitutional future must reflect the country's diversity, which includes not only Christians but also Alawites, Druze, Ismailis, and Kurds.

Her remarks come amid a sharp decline in Syria's Christian population since the war began in 2011. According to expert estimates cited by AFP, the number of Christians has fallen from roughly 1 million before the conflict to about 300,000 today.

Kabawat linked Christian emigration to a longer history that predates the war, noting that waves of emigration began years before 2011 and accelerated after the Hama events of the 1980s. She estimated that Christians once accounted for about 15% of Syria's population, compared with roughly 9% at a later stage and about 4% today.

However, she stressed that emigration is not confined to Christians, noting that Syrians from all communities continue to leave because of fears about the future, uncertainty over the country's political order and doubts about whether their rights will be protected.

Kabawat said the Syrian government needs to do more to demonstrate its commitment to inclusivity and political participation. Strengthening the representation of diverse groups in state institutions, she added, could help restore public confidence in Syria's future.

She is currently visiting Rome, where she is scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV alongside 20 officials and Muslim and Christian religious figures from the Middle East.

Her comments underscore a broader political and constitutional test facing Syria, namely, whether the new constitution will protect the rights of different communities and whether state institutions will translate those guarantees into meaningful political and legal protections, allowing Syrians to feel they have a secure future in their homeland.