EU suspends sanctions against Syria including on energy, banking
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FILE PHOTO: Vehicles drive as the Syrian central bank is seen in the background in Damascus, Syria February 12, 2025. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar/File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union countries suspended a range of sanctions against Syria with immediate effect on Monday, including restrictions related to energy, banking, transport and reconstruction.
The EU has a range of sanctions in place targeting individuals and economic sectors in Syria.
European leaders began rethinking their approach after insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December.
Meeting in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed to suspend restrictions on oil, gas and electricity, and sanctions on the transport sector.
They have also lifted asset freezes for five banks, eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank and indefinitely extended an exemption to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid.
"We have spent the past two months engaging in discussions and diplomatic efforts to ease the unjust sanctions that have burdened our people," Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani said on X.
"We welcome the EU's decision to suspend selected sanctions on specific sectors and see this as a step toward alleviating the suffering of our people."
EU states maintained a range of other sanctions related to the Assad authorities, including those on arms trading, dual-use goods with both military and civilian uses, software for surveillance and the international trade of Syrian cultural heritage goods.
They said they would continue to monitor the situation in Syria to ensure that the suspensions remained appropriate.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer; additional reporting by Hatem Maher; editing by Bernadette Baum, Aidan Lewis and Richard Chang)
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