International EU sanctions on Syria could be gradually eased
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas is proposing a gradual easing of sanctions against Syria. Kallas said on the fringes of talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara that a plan envisages starting with those measures that are really necessary in order to tackle the reconstruction of the country.
24.01.2025, 16:19
SDA
If the Syrian leadership shows progress, further steps could then be taken, Kallas continued. Talks on this are to take place next Monday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Kallas did not initially provide any details in Ankara. According to diplomats in Brussels, sanctions could initially be eased, for example, to facilitate energy supplies and travel.
The EU had imposed sanctions against Syria from 2011 in response to the violent actions of the government of Bashar al-Assad against the civilian population. These were also directed against economic sectors that benefited the power circle around Assad.
The EU measures include a ban on investments in the Syrian oil industry and in companies involved in the construction of new power plants to generate electricity in Syria. The sanctions package also includes a ban on the import of crude oil from Syria, an arms embargo and other export restrictions. The Syrian airline Syrian Arab Airlines is also subject to sanctions.
Should it become clear that developments in Syria were going in the wrong direction, punitive measures would be reintroduced, said Kallas.
After the fall of Assad, the new rulers in the country should be given incentives to establish a real democracy in Syria. The hope is that hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees will one day be able to return home.
