Germany says EU taking 1st steps to ease Syria sanctions

BERLIN

The European Union is set to ease sanctions on Syria, a move German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hailed Monday as a positive step for both Syrians and Europeans.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Baerbock announced that EU foreign ministers are initiating the first step to lift certain sanctions, aiming to support Syria's economy and rebuilding efforts following the fall of the Assad regime.

“Our decision today to ease these sanctions for the first time is good news for the people of Syria, but it is also good news for us Europeans. Because we need reconstruction and also more security in our neighborhood,” she said.

Baerbock underlined that sanctions on the supporters of dictator Bashar Assad will remain in place. “Sanctions against the murderous Assad clan and its henchmen remain in force. Crimes must be solved; perpetrators must be held accountable,” she stressed.

Western nations imposed severe economic sanctions on Syria after Assad's brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011, which later escalated into a devastating civil war. The sanctions included trade and commerce, an import ban on crude oil and petroleum products from Syria, the freezing of Syrian government assets abroad, and export restrictions on certain equipment, goods, and technology.