Albares announces in Damascus he will propose “progressive” lifting of EU sanctions on Syria

Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured this Thursday in Damascus, after meeting with the new authorities of the country, that he will propose on January 27 in Brussels to his EU counterparts the “progressive” lifting of sanctions against Syria as long as the “red lines” defended by Spain are met: respect for the rights of women and minorities, territorial integrity and no foreign interference. Albares made this announcement after meeting with the new leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the Islamist group Levant Liberation Organization that on December 8 put an end to fifty years of the Al Assad dynasty by force of arms. The meeting took place at the People's Palace, as part of a tour of the Middle East by the minister, which began the previous day in Lebanon. “In Damascus I met with Ahmed al-Sharaa. I have conveyed to the new authorities that Spain wants a peaceful and inclusive political process for all Syrians. Spain is committed to the future of the Syrian people,” Albares said on social media. Albares is the fourth European foreign minister to visit Damascus since the change of regime, after those of Germany, France and Italy. In his appearance before the media after the meeting with Al-Sharaa, the minister assured that he had conveyed to the Syrian leader the “red lines” defended by Spain to begin a new stage of rapprochement with Syria: “rights of women, of minorities, reintegration of all armed militias, avoiding external interference, guarantee of territorial integrity, arms control and destruction of synthetic drug laboratories.” “The answers I have received give me assurances that the path that they want to follow is precisely the one that Spain proposes,” Albares said. “I have been told that they want to move towards elections as soon as possible,” he continued. “Therefore, I believe that in the next debate (of the Foreign Affairs Council, CAE, scheduled for January 27) we must all be very aware that the progressive lifting of sanctions, if these authorities continue along this path, is another way of helping the reconstruction of Syria,” he declared. “We are willing to make proposals and discuss at the Brussels table the progressive lifting of sanctions on Syria to alleviate its economic situation and allow progress to be made in reconstruction,” he added. The lifting of decisions requires the unanimity of the 27 EU member states. Germany, France, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands have already proposed some lifting of economic, financial and energy sanctions on Damascus, an issue that will be addressed by the next CAE and that could be the prelude to the entry of Spanish investments in Syria. Humanitarian aid In addition, the minister announced that Spain will provide a humanitarian aid package of more than eleven million euros to Syria. Specifically, it will allocate six million euros through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) based on the country's current priorities, another three million that will arrive throughout 2025 to help refugees, 1.6 million for food aid through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and another half million euros to finance accountability programs through the independent impartial international mechanism for Syria, dependent on the United Nations. Albares' day continued with a meeting with representatives of religious minorities and women's groups, who asked the minister to lift the sanctions and advocated for the drafting of a new Constitution for Syria. Later, he visited, "moved," the Sednaya prison, "where the horror of the Al Assad regime is still felt," according to Albares himself through social networks. “Spain condemns the human rights violations and supports accountability so that these horrors are never repeated,” he added. It is estimated that around 30,000 opponents of the Al Assad regime were executed and tortured in this prison. Spanish Embassy The most symbolic moment of the trip occurred at the Spanish Embassy in Damascus, where he will preside over the flag raising ceremony. The flag was lowered in 2012 with the departure of the ambassador and had not been raised since then. This act, he declared, “is a sign of the hope we place in the future of Syria, of the commitment we convey to the Syrian people so that they have a better future.” Albares also decorated the local staff who have remained at the head of the legation “in times full of challenges, in recognition of their work during all these years,” as he declared on social networks. The Embassy was reduced to the bare minimum in 2012 after Spain decided to withdraw its ambassador in Damascus in retaliation for the repressive policy of the Al Assad regime against anti-government protests. Since then, the representation has been headed by a chargé d'affaires with residence in Beirut. Foreign Ministry sources have stated that, for the moment, the appointment of a new ambassador to Syria is not planned. On 23 December, the Council of Ministers appointed diplomat Antonio González-Zavala as special envoy for Syria, whose mission, as Albares himself announced a week earlier, will be to “transmit clear red lines” to the new authorities.

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