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EU Foreign Ministers to Discuss Lifting Sanctions Against Syria on January 27

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - EU foreign ministers are set to gather in Brussels on January 27 to discuss the removal of sanctions against Syria, the bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, told reporters on her way to talks on Syria in Riyadh on Sunday.

Kallas added the European Union was working on decisions regarding the potential removal of sanctions.

In December 2024, Kallas said that the EU could ease sanctions on Syria if the new leadership took "positive steps" toward an inclusive government and human rights.

The Council of the EU has extended sanctions against Syria until June 1, 2025. Currently, 318 individuals and 86 entities are subject to asset freezes and EU entry bans. The sanctions also prohibit provision of funds and other economic resources to them, either directly or indirectly.

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Analysis

With Syria Out of the Picture, Little Reason for US and Israel to Try to Carve Out a Kurdish State

9 January, 18:00 GMT

Syria's armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, 2024. Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped down after negotiations with opposition and left Syria for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, was named interim prime minister on December 10. He announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.