After the fall of the Assad regime, the future of Syria is still unclear. Foreign Minister Baerbock is taking part in an international Syria conference in Saudi Arabia – and promises further help.
Around a month after the fall of ruler Bashar al-Assad, an international conference in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh will focus on the future of Syria. Many high-ranking representatives from Arab and Western states are invited. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is also there.
According to the Foreign Office, the main aim is the peaceful transition “towards an inclusive political system”. Other topics include coming to terms with the “cruel crimes of the Assad era” and modernizing the infrastructure.
When they arrived, Baerbock promised Syria additional aid totaling 50 million euros. These should flow into food, emergency shelter and medical care through the World Food Program and NGOs. “We as an international community must not let the opportunity for a future in Syria slip by, despite all the legitimate doubts,” said the Green politician.
New government wants to lift Western sanctions
Syria's new Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani had already arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening. The new leadership wants Western sanctions lifted in order to advance reconstruction. Germany and France have held out the prospect of possible easing, but have made this subject to conditions. At the same time, Baerbock emphasized that sanctions against the Assad clan and its henchmen, “who committed serious crimes during the terrible civil war in Syria,” must be maintained.
However, the Federal Government is suggesting that the European Union take a “smart approach” and support the Syrian population quickly so that there is something to buy in the supermarkets or markets, so that there is more electricity every day and so on reconstruction can be tackled. However, the process towards a peaceful transition after the fall of Assad must be conducted “within Syria”.
Saudi Arabia, in turn, also called for the sanctions against Syria to be lifted. Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said in Riyadh that his government had stressed “the importance of lifting the unilateral and international sanctions against Syria.”
EU wants Sanctions easing check
The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on Platform X that they would examine how sanctions could be relaxed. However, this must be accompanied by tangible progress in a political transition that reflects Syria in all its diversity.
The EU imposed sanctions on Syria starting in 2011 in response to the Assad government's violent crackdown on the civilian population. These are directed against the now overthrown government and its supporters as well as against economic sectors from which the government benefited. The EU measures include a ban on investments in the Syrian oil industry and in companies involved in the construction of new power plants to generate electricity in Syria. There is also an import ban on crude oil from Syria, an arms embargo and other export restrictions.
HTS militia from the EU as Terrorist organization classified
On December 8, insurgents led by the Islamist HTS militia took control of Damascus after a few days of offensive, ending decades of rule by the Assad family.
The HTS, which was allied in the past with the Islamist terrorist organizations Al-Qaeda and IS, has since demonstrated moderation and the will to respect all groups in the multi-ethnic state. However, it is still classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, among others.
Baerbock: “No EU funds for Islamist structures”
Baerbock traveled to Damascus with her French colleague Jean-Noël Barrot at the beginning of January to explore cooperation with the new government. The German minister made aid dependent on respect for women's and minority rights.
A lack of a handshake made headlines during Baerbock's visit to Damascus. At her meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani, there was a handshake greeting, according to German delegation circles.
Moritz Behrendt, ARD Cairo, tagesschau, January 12, 2025 12:00 p.m
