Six EU countries urge for temporary lifting of Syria sanctions

According to a document , six European Union member states have urged the bloc to temporarily lift sanctions on Syria in sectors like transport, energy, and banking.  EU foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on Jan. 27 to deliberate on easing sanctions against Syria.

European leaders started re-evaluating their approach to Damascus following the removal of president Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces spearheaded by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), labeled a terrorist entity by the United States and many other nations, along with the United Nations. The statement, endorsed by Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, and Denmark, asserted that the EU “must promptly start modifying our sanctions policy.”

However, the document also cautioned that if EU demands for the respect of human rights and minority rights are unmet, additional sanctions might remain in place and a snapback mechanism could be implemented for sanctions that have previously been lifted.

Last week, the U.S. granted a sanctions exemption for dealings with governing bodies in Syria for six months to improve humanitarian aid delivery. The six EU countries stated that the union ought to lift sanctions to enable civilian flights, reassess sanctions on high-value items, eliminate an export ban on oil and gas technology, and restore financial connections between the EU and Syria.

They additionally stated that sanctions on individuals associated with the Assad administration and its allies should stay enforced.

The paper stated that lifting sanctions on HTS would need to be a topic of discussion at the United Nations and coordinated with key partners, noting that “it will rely on our collective evaluation of the designated entity HTS and its leader (Ahmed) Al-Shara’a, as well as the developments occurring in Syria.” Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s head of foreign policy, met Syria’s newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, on Sunday in Riyadh, where leading diplomats from the Middle East and the West convened to address the situation in the nation.

“She stated that it is now the moment for Syria’s fresh leadership to fulfill the expectations they have generated – by ensuring a peaceful and inclusive transition that safeguards all minority groups.” “Furthermore, she mentioned that we will talk with EU Foreign Ministers about how to relax sanctions.”