Tuesday, February 18th, 2025

EU ministers to discuss lifting sanctions on Syria after Western, Arab diplomats meet in Riyadh


European foreign ministers have agreed to meet in late January to discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions on Syria following a regional meeting in Riyadh, where ministers and top diplomats from Western countries met for the first time since the fall of the ousted Syrian president. Had gathered for the meeting. Bashar al-Assad last month, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced that foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on January 27 to explore how the 27-member bloc can approach the sanctions issue and stressed that The EU wants to see an inclusive Syria. A government that avoids “radicalism” and respects the rights of women and minorities, while insisting that the bloc can immediately reverse any moves to ease sanctions, as Al Jazeera reports. It has been told.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud also called for the lifting of sanctions on Syria, saying that continued sanctions were hindering Syria’s development and reconstruction.

“We stressed the importance of lifting the unilateral and international sanctions imposed on Syria, as their continuation hinders the development and reconstruction aspirations of the Syrian people,” Al Saud said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Syria’s new foreign minister, Assad Hassan al-Shaibani, who has long advocated lifting sanctions, also held talks with foreign ministers from the region, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan. Participated in. , Lebanon, and Turkey.

The meeting was also attended by US Under Secretary of State John Bass, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

A Saudi Foreign Ministry statement following the talks reaffirmed calls for sanctions to be lifted to aid Syria’s reconstruction and expressed concern over Israel’s actions in the Golan Heights.

,[Steps were discussed to] Support the brotherly Syrian people and provide them all assistance and support at this critical stage of their history and help rebuild Syria as a unified, independent, secure Arab state for all its citizens, free from terrorism. There is no place for it, there is no violation of its sovereignty. , and no attack on its territorial integrity,” the statement read, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

The conference comes as Syria’s new administration led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has called for the lifting of Western sanctions to allow international funding into the country.

Earlier, the US had issued a six-month sanctions waiver for transactions with Syrian government institutions to facilitate humanitarian aid, Al Jazeera reported.

Germany, Italy and France have recently advocated for an easing of EU sanctions on Syria, but any final decision would require the approval of all EU members.

According to Al Jazeera report, Kallas explained that any relief on sanctions would be focused on those hindering the country’s reconstruction, such as restricting access to banking services.

According to Al Jazeera, Germany’s Baerbock said sanctions against al-Assad’s associates who have committed serious crimes during the war should remain in place, but Germany wants a “smart approach” to sanctions that would provide relief to the Syrian population.

“Germany proposes to take a smart approach to sanctions while providing relief to the Syrian population. The Syrian people now need quick dividends from regime change, Baerbock said, quoted by Al Jazeera.

The meeting in Riyadh marked the first time Syria’s new rulers took part in discussions with Western officials. That followed diplomatic meetings in Rome on Thursday and Jordan in December, where regional powers expressed concerns about Syria’s new leadership and the steps needed to secure international recognition.



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