Saudi Arabia has called for an end to sanctions on Syria following meetings in Riyadh of 17 regional and western ministers and senior diplomats seeking to promote the country’s recovery.

Top European and Middle Eastern diplomats gathered in Riyadh for a conference focused on Syria's future on Sunday. Germany’s foreign minister said that sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for war crimes must remain in place but called for a “smart approach” to provide relief to the Syrian population after last month’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad.

Western and Arab powers were meeting in Riyadh on Sunday to discuss the future of post-Assad Syria as Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the rebel group that brought down the former regime last month, builds a monopoly on power in Damascus.

Top diplomats from regional countries and the West are gathering in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on Sunday to discuss the situation in war-torn Syria, more than a month after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad's regime.