As Syria begins recovering from 50 years of autocratic rule by the Assad family, an international envoy says Christians and other religious groups expect their rights and freedoms to be preserved under a new constitutional settlement.

Salina Shambos, a senior Cypriot diplomat and the newly appointed special envoy for religious freedom and protection of minorities in the Middle East, said on Friday that religious leaders in Syria expressed a "strong sense of patriotism" and are now "free to hope" that their country will be more inclusive and a respected member of the international community.