The rapid and surprising collapse of the regime Bashar Al Assad has caught the European Union, which had just begun to explore the possibility of restarting dialogue with Syria -broken since 2011- in order to facilitate the return of refugees. After all, the outbreak of the civil war in Syria was the main trigger for the refugee crisis of 2015. Since the beginning of the conflict, the EU has welcomed more than one million Syrian refugees and contributed €33.3 billion in humanitarian aid, in addition to signing a migration pact with Turkey to prevent further departures.
In July, the foreign ministers of Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic and Cyprus asked Josep Borrell a review of policy towards Damascus. The ultimate goal was to be “achieve the conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrian refugees”. At the penultimate European Council in June, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloniand the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, demanded including Syria on the list of “safe countries” to be able to return migrants. In the last days of his mandate, Borrell raised the possibility of creating a “special correspondent” to Syria to address these issues.
Now the fall of the Al Asad dictatorship “offers opportunities but is not without risks,” according to the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. A resurgence of the civil war could provoke a new wave of refugees. Brussels is also concerned that Syria will once again become a base for terrorist groups like those that committed the attacks in Paris and Brussels.
“Europe is ready to support the safeguarding of national unity and the reconstruction of a Syrian State that protects all minorities. “We are collaborating with European and regional leaders and closely monitoring developments,” Von der Leyen said.
The crisis in Syria is the first litmus test for the two new heads of foreign policy of the European Union, barely a week after they took office. Both the president of the European Council, the Portuguese socialist Antonio Costalike the new head of EU diplomacy, the Estonian liberal Kaja Kallas, have celebrated the fall of the Al Assad regime and have called for a peaceful transition.
For Kallas, the flight of the Syrian dictator is also a sign of the weakness of two of the countries that supported him, Russia and Iran. He Kremlin is worn by the more than 1,000 days of war in Ukraine, while the ayatollah regime has deflated after its confrontation with Israel.
“The end of the Assad dictatorship is a positive and long-awaited development, but also shows the weakness of Assad’s allies Russia and Iran. Our priority is to guarantee security in the region. “The reconstruction process in Syria will be long and complicated and all parties must be willing to collaborate constructively,” Kallas wrote in his X account.
“The Assad dictatorship caused immense suffering. With its end, a new opportunity for freedom and peace arises for all the Syrian people, which is also crucial for the overall stability of the region. The EU is willing to work with the Syrian people for a better future,” says the President of the European Council.
“This is a critical moment for the region and for the millions of Syrians who want a free, stable and secure future. What happens in the next few hours and days is important. It is dialogue, unity, respect for fundamental rights and international law that must characterize the next steps,” says the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
In Paris and Berlin the fall of the Al Assad regime has also been welcomed as a positive event. “The end of the Assad Government in Syria is good news. What is important now is that law and order be quickly restored in the country. “All religious communities and all minorities must enjoy protection now and in the future,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “Now the country must not fall into the hands of other radicals, under any guise“, warns its Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock.
“The state of barbarism has fallen. Finally. I pay tribute to the Syrian people, their bravery and patience. In this time of uncertainty, I wish you peace, freedom and unity. France will remain committed to the security of everyone in the Middle East,” said the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
“We ask for a peaceful handover between the fallen regime and the new reality, that is, a peaceful transition instead of a military one. It seems to me that at the moment things are going in this direction,” said the Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani.
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