Six EU countries demand a short-term lift of sanctions on Syria

Six EU member countries have requested that the EU briefly lift sanctions on Syria in sectors like transport, energy, and banking, according to a document seen by Reuters.

EU foreign ministers will talk about possibly easing sanctions on Syria in a meeting in Brussels on January 27.

European leaders started to rethink their approach to Damascus after rebel forces, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), removed President Bashar al-Assad from power. HTS is considered a terrorist group by the United States, most other countries, and the United Nations.

Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Finland, and Denmark signed a paper stating that the EU should start changing its penalties rules right away.

The paper also cautioned that if the EU’s standards for human rights and minority rights are not met, existing sanctions might stay in place and previously dropped sanctions could be reintroduced.

Last week, the U.S. allowed certain deals with the Syrian government for six months to help more relief aid reach people in need.

The six EU countries said that the EU should end certain sanctions to help passenger planes, rethink sanctions on expensive goods, lift the ban on exporting oil and gas technology, and restore financial connections between the EU and Syria.

They also said that bans on members of the Assad government and their allies should stay.

The paper stated that lifting sanctions on HTS needs to be talked about at the United Nations and worked on with close allies. It will rest on how we evaluate HTS and its head, Ahmed Al-Shara’a, as well as the situation in Syria.

Kaja Kallas, the foreign policy leader of the group, met Syria’s new foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, on Sunday in Riyadh. They were there with other officials from the Middle East and Western countries to talk about the situation in Syria.

“Now is the time for Syria’s new leaders to fulfill the hope they have inspired by ensuring a peaceful and inclusive transition that protects all minority groups,” she said.

“Next, we will talk with EU Foreign Ministers about how to make sanctions less strict,” she said.