Syria Urges EU to Lift Remaining Sanctions as Kallas Visits Damascus

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani on Tuesday urged the European Union to lift the sanctions still weighing on Syrian state institutions, while pressing the bloc to take a firmer line against Israeli military operations in the country.

Speaking at a news conference in Damascus alongside EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, al-Shibani said Damascus supports retaining restrictions on figures tied to the former government but wants them removed from government bodies and entities. He argued that the measures are obstructing the country's recovery.

The EU lifted its economic sanctions on Syria in 2025 to back the transition and reconstruction effort, though it kept targeted measures in place against individuals linked to the former administration and others cited on security and human rights grounds.

On Israel, al-Shibani said statements of concern were insufficient and called on the EU's Foreign Affairs Council to formally characterise what he described as systematic aggression against a recovering country. He also reaffirmed Syria's position that the Golan is Syrian territory, citing U.N. Security Council Resolution 497, under which its annexation is null and void. He welcomed the EU's August position rejecting any Israeli sovereignty over the area and upholding the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Kallas said the EU welcomes the safe and dignified return of refugees and wants to help rebuild Syria, adding that the country needs more investment. Private companies, she noted, look for the rule of law and functioning institutions — including courts they can rely on — before committing capital. She said she would push for further European support, including on banking reforms.

On Israel's presence in southern Syria and the Golan Heights, Kallas restated the EU's position that the 1974 disengagement agreement should be respected. The bloc has previously called on Israel to honour the demilitarised buffer zone and uphold the agreement.