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European foreign ministers have agreed to meet at the end of January to discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions on Syria following a regional meeting in Riyadh, where ministers and top diplomats from Western nations and gathered for the first such gathering since the fall of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last month, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.
The European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced that the foreign ministers would meet in Brussels on January 27 to explore how the 27-member bloc might approach the issue of sanctions and emphasised that the EU wants to see an inclusive Syrian government that avoids "radicalisation" and respects the rights of women and minorities while stressing that the bloc could quickly reverse any moves to ease sanctions, as reported by Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, also called for the lifting of sanctions on Syria, noting that continued sanctions hinder Syria's development and reconstruction. "We stressed the importance of lifting unilateral and international sanctions imposed on Syria, as their continuation hinders the aspirations of the Syrian people to achieve development and reconstruction," Al Saud said as quoted by Al Jazeera. Syria's new Foreign Minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, who has long advocated for the removal of sanctions, also attended the talks alongside foreign ministers from the region, including those from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. The meeting also included the US Under Secretary of State John Bass, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. A statement from the Saudi foreign ministry following the talks reaffirmed the call for lifting sanctions to aid Syria's reconstruction and expressed concerns over Israel's actions in the Golan Heights. "[Steps were discussed to] support the brotherly Syrian people and provide them with all aid and support at this important stage in their history and helping them rebuild Syria as a unified, independent, safe Arab state for all its citizens, with no place for terrorism, no breach 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 Western sanctions to be lifted to allow international funding into the country. Earlier, US issued a six-month sanctions exemption for transactions with Syrian governing institutions to facilitate humanitarian assistance, Al Jazeera reported. Germany, Italy, and France have recently advocated for relaxing EU sanctions on Syria, but any final decision will require approval from all EU members. Kallas pointed out that any sanctions relief would focus on those hindering the country's rebuilding, such as those restricting access to banking services, Al Jazeera reported. According to Al Jazeera, Germany's Baerbock stated that sanctions against al-Assad's allies, who committed serious crimes during the war, must remain in place, but Germany seeks a "smart approach" to sanctions that would offer relief to the Syrian population. "Germany proposes to take a smart approach to sanctions, providing relief for the Syrian population. Syrians now need a quick dividend from the transition of power," Baerbock stated, as quoted by Al Jazeera. The meeting in Riyadh marked the first time Syria's new rulers participated in discussions with Western officials. It 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. (ANI)
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