BRUSSELS/DAMASCUS: The European Union plans to deepen its engagement with Syria by relaunching formal political contacts and paving the way for closer economic and security ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, marking the latest step in a broader policy shift after years of frozen relations.
The background paper, produced by the bloc’s diplomatic arm and circulated to EU member countries this week, says the EU will fully resume its 1978 cooperation agreement with Syria and begin a High-Level Political Dialogue, an EU term for formal and structured talks, with the country’s transitional authorities on May 11.
In a notable policy adjustment, the EU also said it would “reframe and adapt” its sanctions regime to maintain leverage while engaging with Syria’s leadership and targeting spoilers of the transition, according to the paper.
Syria, which had most Western sanctions lifted at the end of last year, is seeking broader integration into the international community under interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who headed an alliance of Islamist rebel factions to oust former leader Bashar Assad at the end of 2024, after a devastating 14-year war.
MIGRANT RETURNS, SYRIA AS TRANSIT HUB
