EU agrees to roadmap to ease sanctions on Syria

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The EU has agreed to a roadmap to ease the EU sanctions on Syria, the bloc's foreign policy chief announced on Monday.

"EU Foreign Ministers just agreed on a roadmap to ease the EU sanctions on Syria," Kaja Kallas wrote on X.

Kallas added, "While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken."

Western nations imposed severe economic sanctions on Syria after Assad's brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011, which later escalated into a devastating civil war.

The sanctions included trade and commerce, an import ban on crude oil and petroleum products from Syria, the freezing of Syrian government assets abroad, and export restrictions on certain equipment, goods, and technology.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

A new administration led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa has now taken control of the country.