Rabat – On Thursday, April 24, the United Kingdom removed asset freezes on Syria’s Ministries of Defense and Interior, as well as its main intelligence agencies, including the General Intelligence Directorate and Air Force Intelligence Agency. These are all entities that were previously sanctioned for their roles in repressing civilians and supporting the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad.
This move comes four months after Assad was ousted from power by opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an armed group still designated as a “terrorist organization” by the UK and US.
As the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa seeks to rebuild the country’s economy and international relationships, it is urging countries to lift the sanctions against Syria, arguing that these measures were taken against the previous government and should have no place on the current.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said the decision aims to aid Syria’s economic recovery, encourage the return of Syrian refugees, and promote regional stability. The UK government had previously lifted sanctions on Syria’s central bank and oil companies in March.
Sanctions remain in place on individuals connected to the Assad regime in an effort to hold the regime accountable for its actions since 2011, during the Syrian Civil War.
Restrictions on the export of certain goods and technologies will also remain in place. This includes the prohibition of military, advanced communication and surveillance equipment, as well as dual-use technology; which can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
The regional chief for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abdallah al-Dardari, urged the Syrian authorities last week to start the economic recovery process without waiting for Western countries to lift their sanctions, asserting in a statement that “Waiting for sanctions to be lifted leads nowhere.”