LONDON: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani said that the country was entering a new phase centered on economic recovery and the rebuilding of institutions during the opening of the EU-Syria Partnership Coordination Forum in Brussels on Monday.
“Syria today is not asking the world to shape its future on its behalf ... We are here to build real partnerships based on mutual interests, responsibility and long-term stability,” Al-Shaibani said, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The European Council decided on Monday to restore more extensive trade ties with Syria, which had been partially suspended since 2011.
Syria is seeking a deeper partnership with the EU, Al-Shaibani said, as its authorities work to strengthen the economy and encourage investment.
“Today, our focus is on recovery, reconstruction and restoring confidence in state institutions.
“Syria and Europe already have a basis for cooperation ... What is needed now is genuine political will,” he added.
Before the civil war, the trade volume between Syria and the EU surpassed €7 billion, equivalent to $9.1 billion in 2010.
The EU partially suspended its cooperation agreement with Syria following the brutal crackdown on protests by the Bashar Assad regime since 2011. The EU imported goods worth €103 million ($121 million) from Syria in 2023, while exports reached €265 million, according to data from the European Commission.
Al-Shaibani said that Syria’s stability would contribute to broader stability in the Mediterranean region and Europe and enable the voluntary return of displaced Syrians currently living across the bloc’s 27 countries.
