As Safīrah (Arabic: السفيرة‎ As Safīra; North Syrian Arabic: Sfīre) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to the Aleppo Governorate. It is the administrative center for the As Safirah District. As Safīrah has an altitude of 348 meters (1,142 ft), and a population of 106,382 as of 2007, making it the 11th largest city per geographical entity in Syria.

Medieval geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi spells the name Asfīrah (أسفيرة), not As-Safīrah (السفيرة), which indicates that the definite article in the modern spelling is a result of hypercorrection.

As-Safīrah was known in pre-Islamic times as Sipri. Historians have suggested that the name Sipri may have come from the Akkadian word siparru meaning "bronze", which might indicate that copper was mined and bronze was worked there.

Since ancient times the city has been the distribution point for salt gathered from the nearby Sabkhat al-Jabbul.

The Sfire I Treaty which may contain 8th C. BCE evidence of a deity called "Most High."

Coordinates: 37°04′N 37°22′E / 37.067°N 37.367°E / 37.067; 37.367

Dr. Neil Melvin is an expert on contemporary forms of conflict and the current Director of the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme. Dr Melvin has extensive experience both as a researcher and as a policy practitioner. He has published widely on issues of conflict, with a particular focus on ethno-religious issues in the former Soviet Union and in Asia. In recent years he has broadened his research interests to consider the impact of resources on conflict, notably the issue of energy and conflict.

Prior to joining SIPRI, he held Senior Adviser positions in the Energy Charter Secretariat (2008–2010) and for the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)'s High Commissioner on National Minorities (2001–2005). He served as a Reader in International Conflict Analysis at the Brussels School of International Studies (2008–2010) and worked at a variety of leading policy institutes in Europe such as the Center for European Policy Studies.

Dr. Bates Gill (Chinese: 季北慈) is an expert on Chinese foreign policy and the current director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Dr Gill has a long record of research and publication on both international and regional security issues. These include arms control, non-proliferation, peacekeeping and military-technical development—and all mainly with regard to China and Asia. In recent years his work has broadened to encompass other contemporary security-related trends including multilateral security organizations, the impact of domestic politics and development on the foreign policies of states, and the nexus of public health and security.

In March 2012, Dr Gill was appointed as the chief executive officer of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.

Gill received his Ph.D in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1991. His thesis investigated the role of weapons transfer in forming the foreign policy of China and was entitled "Fire of the Dragon: Arms Transfers in Chinese Security Policy.". He received his B.A from Albion College, with a double major in Political Science and French. He is fluent in Chinese, English, and French.