On Sunday, the European Union renewed its firm positions on the Syrian issue, stressing that there is no change in Brussels’ policy towards Syria.
This came in the words of Dan Stoenescu, the Chargé d’affaires of the EU Mission to Syria. He stressed that there is no change in Brussels’ strong policy towards the Syrian issue and that his recent visit to the regime-controlled areas is not normalizing with it.
He pointed out that the EU will not lift the sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime, will not normalize its relations with it, and will not participate in the reconstruction process of Syria, until the Assad regime carries out a credible political process.
He explained that the visit he made weeks ago to Homs, Aleppo and Hama is “humanitarian” and its goal is to identify the situation on the ground. He considered this normal as the EU has been the largest donor to Syria in the last 11 years, spending 27 billion USD to help Syrians inside and outside their country.
He stressed that this visit does not mean the legitimization of the regime, and the political position of the EU has not changed but is an opportunity to meet Syrians and talk to them and humanitarian NGOs directly.
On the extent of coordination with the Assad regime during this visit, he said: “There was no coordination between the EU and the regime on this visit; It was initiated by the UN and the UN Resident Coordinator who coordinated the visit. The EU joined to see the projects we are funding.”
Stoenescu has previously considered the visit of the joint EU-UN mission to areas under the control of the Syrian regime in Aleppo, Homs and Hama “of paramount importance.” He added that this is”taking into account the growing humanitarian needs,” according to the American website, Al-Hurra.
Stoenescu explained that the EU “is the largest donor to the Syrian crisis, through funded projects across the country, including the three governorates we visited.” He noted that these projects “not only save lives, but also improve livelihoods and promote resilience and social cohesion.”
The EU stresses that sanctions on the Syrian regime “are aimed at avoiding any impact on humanitarian aid, and not affecting the delivery of food, medicines and medical equipment,” according to its official statements.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
