EU's Stance on Post-Assad Syria: A Conditional Path to Sanctions Relief

The European Union is considering easing sanctions on Syria if the new leadership shows progress in establishing an inclusive government and respecting rights. Challenges lie in addressing the leadership of HTS, a group with a controversial past. EU ministers call for concrete actions, not just promises, from Syria's new leaders.

The European Union may consider lifting sanctions on Syria should its new leaders demonstrate substantial progress in creating an inclusive government and respecting rights, announced EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday. This came as EU foreign ministers emphasized the need for Syria to reduce Russian influences on its soil, including military bases.

Kallas revealed that she had dispatched a senior diplomat to engage with officials from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group now in power after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad. The EU, along with international powers, faces challenges in engaging with HTS due to its designation as a terrorist organization by the U.N., despite its break from al-Qaeda in 2016.

Concerns remain over past human rights violations by HTS, with the EU seeking actual steps toward reform rather than mere verbal commitments. The potential easing of sanctions, which currently affect arms exports and the Syrian oil sector, would depend on HTS's actions in governance and rights protection.

(With inputs from agencies.)