EU Reaches Agreement to Lift Economic Sanctions on Syria, Kallas Says
EU foreign ministers on Tuesday agreed to lift economic sanctions on Syria, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria," Kallas said in a post on social media platform X following discussions with ministers in Brussels.
The European Union's policy shift comes after President Donald Trump said last week he would order the lifting of US sanctions on Syria.
"The EU has always stood by Syrians throughout the last 14 years - and will keep doing so," Kallas said.
The bloc has already eased sanctions related to energy, transport and reconstruction, as well as associated financial transactions, but some capitals have argued that the measures were insufficient to help support Syria's political transition and economic recovery.
"The European Union wants to make a fresh start with Syria... but we also expect an inclusive policy within the country that includes all population groups and religious groups," Germany's foreign minister Johann Wadephul said in a written statement.
"It is important to us that a united Syria can thus take its future into its own hands," he added.
The bloc has already eased sanctions related to energy, transport and reconstruction, as well as associated financial transactions, but some capitals have argued that the measures were insufficient to help support Syria's political transition and economic recovery.
Syria's foreign minister said that the lifting of sanctions shows an "international will" to support his country.
In a press conference in Damascus alongside his Jordanian counterpart, Asaad Al-Shaibani said that "lifting sanctions expresses the regional and international will to support Syria," adding that "the Syrian people today have a very important and historic opportunity to rebuild their country."
The country's new rulers have been clamoring for relief from the crushing international punishment imposed after Assad's crackdown on opponents spiraled into civil war.
The latest move from the EU comes after it took a first step in February of suspending some sanctions on key Syrian economic sectors.
Officials said those measures could be reimposed if Syria's new leaders break promises to respect the rights of minorities and move toward democracy.
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