EU must keep easing sanctions on Syria ‘to give hope after killings’

EU foreign affairs minister Kaja Kallas on Monday said the bloc should continue sanctions relief for Syria to give hope to its people after sectarian killings threatened to engulf the country in another cycle of violence.

The international community was meeting in Brussels for an annual fundraising meeting for Syria, which was represented at government level at the conference for the first time, in a signal of warming relations with Damascus.

Yet at €5.8 billion ($6.3 billion), funds raised this year were nearly 30 per cent lower than in 2024. They included €4.2 billion in grants and the rest in loans. About 80 per cent of pledges were from the EU and member states.

Answering a question from The National, Ms Kallas said easing of punitive measures on Syria would involve a "difficult discussion" but "right now, we are moving ahead with the lifting of the sanctions".

"What we want to see – and what we see – is really the Syrian leadership taking accountability or holding accountable those people who have done these massacres," she said, as she attended a meeting of the bloc's 27 foreign ministers in Brussels, followed by a conference to raise funds to support Syria.

"What it shows is really that we need to continue with the lifting of sanctions, because if there is hope for the people then there is also less chaos. For the hope for the people, you need also services to be provided – for example, banking services."

The EU last month partially lifted sanctions on Syria to encourage investment. But that move can be reversed if the bloc decides the country's self-declared leaders do not respect the rule of law, or make no effort to include ethnic and religious minorities in the political transition. The EU will review its position on Syria in April.

Syria attends for first time

In a historic first, the EU invited a representative of the Syrian government – interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani – to attend the ninth donor conference. It was also the first such conference to take place since former president Bashar Al Assad fled the country in December as rebels entered Damascus. In the past, the EU has focused on supporting refugees in neighbouring countries and avoided any contact with the regime.

Mr Al Shibani told the gathering that he appreciated the EU's move to suspend some sanctions but pleaded for further relief. "These measures did not live up so far to our expectations," he said. "We want further measures in order to help us secure our recovery. These sanctions were imposed on the old regime, therefore we are punished for something we have not done."

The full lifting of sanctions on Syria has been a major demand made by Syrians since the fall of the Assad regime. Some European politicians have also been trying to pressure the EU Council to move faster.

Speaking at a side event organised by Amnesty International, MEP Hannah Neumann said financial transfers in and out of Syria should be eased. "If there are no financial transfers … how are they [Syrians] supposed to buy things, to sell things? That is why we need a serious political discussion," asked Ms Neumann, a German centrist politician who visited Syria in January.

International partners, including Arab countries and senior UN officials, also attended Monday's event.

The UAE stands ready to support Syria in its reconstruction efforts, said Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s Assistant Minister for Political Affairs. "Syria has faced challenges in recent years that could have broken its spirit, but today Syria stands before us resilient and determined to rebuild and reclaim its future," Ms Nusseibeh said.

The US was invited, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not go to Brussels and was represented by deputy assistant secretary for the Levant and Syria, Natasha Franceschi. Washington has maintained its sanctions regime against Syria, which may have a "chilling effect" on companies wanting to work in Syria because of legal compliance costs.

In the past 14 years, the US has given more assistance to Syria than any other nation, at more than $18.3 billion, Ms Franceschi said. "We’ll continue to provide certain assistance in line with US policies and laws but we also now expect that other nations are going to help shoulder the financial burden the US has long carried," she added, in an echo of President Donald Trump's calls to cut foreign aid.

Referring to a US Treasury announcement in January to ease the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, Ms Franceschi said that while Washington may consider other steps to encourage private sector growth in Syria, it did not believe that investors would express interest.

"We cannot realistically expect investors to invest in a country where leaders choose violent extremism or abusive human rights," she said. "In that case, no amount of foreign assistance or sanctions relief will be enough, and we very much hope that Syria’s leaders choose wisely."

Fragile peace

Mr Al Shibani also highlighted the fragility of Syria's peace, as he alluded to last week's sectarian killings of at least 1,400 Alawites on the coast. Stability in Syria remains under threat because of "foreign interventions and remnants of the former regime", he said. "We shall save no effort in bringing anyone who perpetrated any crime, whose hands are stained with blood … We will bring them to justice."

Interim President Ahmad Al Shara has set up an independent investigative committee and said the perpetrators would be referred to the courts.

Alawites are a minority community in Syria that formed the backbone of the Assad regime for generations. Violence recently erupted in the west coast area of the country when Assad loyalists ambushed and killed about 16 members of the new government security forces.

This prompted reprisals directed mainly at Alawite civilians. Responsibility for most of the killings lies with rebel groups linked to the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, according to intelligence reports. These groups were recently folded into the Defence Ministry.

Mr Al Shibani also complained about Israel's occupation of a buffer zone in Syrian territory, in the Golan Heights, after the fall of the Assad regime. "Syrians at large cannot possibly be complacent towards any attempt to interfere in our own affairs or harming our unity," he said.

His presence was a strong signal of the EU's willingness to re-engage with Damascus. In the past, the EU has focused on supporting refugees in neighbouring countries and avoided any contact with the regime.

The bloc pledged €2.5 billion for Syria. Turning to Mr Al Shibani, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "In the past, we have always worked for Syria and for Syrians, but today we can finally work with Syria. This gives a new meaning to the Brussels conference so we would like to hear from you about the needs of your people and your plans for rebuilding state institutions."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced that her country would pledge €300 million for the UN and other organisations providing assistance for Syrians in the country and around the region. "There can only be a peaceful future for Syria if there is an inclusive political process," Ms Baerbock said.

The UK pledged £160 million ($207.5 million) in aid delivered by UN and NGO partners on the ground to help provide Syrians with water, food, health care and education.