What’s next for the EU strategy towards Syria
Recently, there has been a marked shift in the European stance towards Syria, with the announcement of the Italy resuming the work of its diplomatic missions in Damascus and the appointment of a new ambassador.
This step comes in the context of a group of EU member states moving towards reviewing their position rejecting dealing with Damascus, known as the Triple No:
- No EU normalize relation with Syria.
- No EU participation in Rebuilding Syria.
- No lift sanctions without political progress in accordance with UN Resolution 2254.
It seems like the Syrian President Assad has manage to break the international isolation imposed on Syria since 2011, after several Arab countries resumed their relations with Syria, which led to his attendance at two consecutive summits of the heads of state of the Arabic League in May 2023.
Assad has also begun to react to Türkiye’s efforts to normalize relations after a rupture of more than 12 years, with a meeting expected between him and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan next August, to begin a new phase of relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, some European countries are moving to reconsider their policies towards Syria, in light of US ignorance, Arab, and regional rapprochement with Damascus.
These countries, including Austria, Cyprus and Italy, called on the EU to review its strategy based on the Triple No.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground has changed dramatically, with the Syrian government controlling about 70% of the territories, and relative stability in areas outside its control.
In this context, Italy recently announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with Damascus and the appointment of a new ambassador, making it the first G7 country to resume relathions with Damascus.
The Italian move was preceded by a letter from the foreign ministers of a number of European countries to the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, calling for interaction with the Arab rapprochement with Syria.
These moves are partly due to the pressures resulting from the Syrian refugee crisis, which is one of the most prominent issues affecting the policies of European countries, especially with the rise of the extreme right in some countries.
Some analysts believe that European moves toward normalizing relations with Syria reflect a desire to improve economic ties and benefit from potential reconstruction projects.
Despite these changes, major countries such as the United States, France, and Germany still stick to their position of rejecting normalization with Damascus.
Some experts point out that regional and international shifts, including the reduction of the US role in the region, are encouraging some countries to adjust their policies toward Syria.
However, the current administration hasn’t explicitly supported these moves, although it hasn’t taken steps to prevent its allies from rapprochement with Damascus.
