EU members Germany, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland and France have urged the leadership of the European Union to lift sanctions against Syria in the banking, transport and energy fields due to the regime change in the republic.
According to Reuters, the document said the EU "should immediately begin adjusting" the regime of sanctions imposed on Damascus. It proposes to ease restrictions on civilian flights and export of oil and gas technology, as well as reopen financial channels between the EU and Syria.
If Brussels’ expectations about respecting human rights and minorities "are not met," the EU will reinstitute the sanctions, the paper signed by the six European nations said. It also noted that the personal sanctions against former Syrian President Bashar Assad and his family should remain in place.
The article cited the document as saying that removing the terrorist tag from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS, banned in Russia), which has seized power in Syria, "would have to be discussed at the United Nations level and coordinated with close partners." Earlier, the White House stated that the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden was not ready to remove HTS from the list of banned groups.
The EU’s sanctions against Syria go back to 2012. Up until 2022, these sanctions, including bans on oil trade, were the most significant in the history of the alliance. Restrictions were imposed against the government and military structures, as well as Assad's family and loved ones. Following his departure, the sanctions have remained in full force. On January 27, 2025, EU foreign ministers will gather in Brussels to discuss possibly easing sanctions on Damascus.
On January 6, the US Treasury Department removed unilateral restrictions on transactions related to the Syrian authorities, sending energy resources to the country, as well as money transfers, including through the Central Bank of Syria.
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The six EU members said the bloc should lift sanctions to facilitate civilian flights, reevaluate sanctions on high-value goods, remove an export ban on oil and gas technology, and reopen financial channels between the EU and Syria.
ReplyDeleteThey also said sanctions against members of al-Assad administration and its supporters should remain in place.