ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The European Union has officially decided to lift its economic sanctions on Syria, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced Tuesday, marking a major shift in the union’s approach towards Damascus following months of deliberations.
In a statement posted to X, Kallas, who serves as the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, declared, “Today, we took the decision to lift our economic sanctions on Syria.”
“We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria,” she added, reaffirming the EU’s long-standing support of the Syrian people.
Speaking to Rudaw on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Tuesday, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice President, Kaja Kallas, said the EU has been "working on lifting sanctions imposed on Syria since the beginning of this year to help the Syrian people."
She added that EU member states want to foster economic development and stability in Syria. “Jobs and livelihoods for the people will help stabilize the country. In order to allow that, we need to lift the sanctions.”
Following a swift offensive in early December, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa - toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In late January, Sharaa was appointed as Syria’s interim president.
Since assuming power, the new leadership in Damascus has prioritized lobbying for the removal of international sanctions. While many countries have expressed openness to revisiting Assad-era sanctions, they have emphasized the need for the new government to meet key benchmarks.
Back in February, Kallas had warned that “any [new] government formed [in Syria] must be inclusive, encompassing the [country’s] various [ethnic and religious] groups.” “If things do not head in the right direction,” she cautioned, “we are ready to reimpose the waivered sanctions.”
On Tuesday, reiterating these concerns, Kallas told Rudaw, “We don’t really have a choice; either we give them [the Syrian leadership] a chance to stabilize the country, or we risk something similar to what we have in Afghanistan.”
“We need everyone on board,” she continued, “and we know that the United States is also working on lifting the sanctions.”
Last week, US President Donald Trump announced his intention to lift sanctions on Syria as part of a broader initiative to normalize relations with Damascus.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump declared during a speech in Saudi Arabia.
A day later, Trump met with Syria’s interim President, Sharaa, in Riyadh in a landmark meeting hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also attended remotely.
A day later he met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh in a meeting hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and attended remotely by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Commenting on the meeting, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted Trump as urging Sharaa to normalize ties with Israel, expel all “foreign terrorists” from Syria, and cooperate with Washington to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State (ISIS), among other conditions.
“We need to support the Syrian people in humanitarian terms, but we also must provide incentives for the Syrian government to take steps toward peace and stability,” Spruds said. He added that Syria’s 14-year civil war has had deep negative repercussions for the region, and that “stability in Syria means wider stability for the Middle East.”
“Syria is absolutely instrumental,” the Latvian defense minister emphasized.
Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze echoed these sentiments, confirming to Rudaw that “a political decision has been made to ease economic sanctions” on Syria. However, she stressed that the sanctions relief must come with conditions.
“The Syrian government has to show that it follows through on its part of the deal,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp reiterated to Rudaw his country’s long-standing stance that the rights of Syria’s ethnic and religious communities must be protected - both under Assad and under the new regime.
“The rights of each of these communities must be respected,” Veldkamp said, noting that while the Netherlands views the new leadership in Damascus with caution, it also supports economic development, which requires lifting sanctions.
He underscored that any sanctions relief must be reversible and “go hand in hand with measures targeting perpetrators and violators of human rights, including the rights of Syria’s various communities.”
“The Netherlands will always stand with the diverse communities of Syria,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys affirmed his country's support for a conditional lifting of sanctions. “We’ve been very clear with Damascus and its new leadership,” he said, adding that the conditions relate not only to human rights but also to the withdrawal of foreign powers operating in Syria against European interests.
