EU to hold 2 high-level meetings with Syrian transitional authorities in Brussels

LONDON: The EU will hold two high-level meetings in Brussels on Monday with Syria’s transitional authorities aimed at strengthening ties and supporting recovery and reconstruction efforts in the country.

Announcing the talks, EU officials said on Friday that they mark a new phase in relations between Brussels and Damascus, with the discussions set to focus on the political transition, economic recovery and long-term stability in the wake of the fall of the Assad regime.

The EU said it had opened “a new chapter” in its relationship with Syria through engagement with the country’s transitional authorities after President Bashar Assad was removed from power in December 2024, following almost 14 years of civil war.

It added that Syria was “opening a path to reconciliation and recovery,” and the EU was prepared to support the process through a new framework of cooperation.

The first of the two meetings on Monday is the Syria Partnership Coordination Forum, at which international stakeholders will gather to coordinate aid, reconstruction and development efforts.

It will be co-chaired by Dubravka Suica, the European commissioner for the Mediterranean, and Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, Syria’s foreign minister. Senior representatives of EU member states, G7 countries, Arab nations, the UN and international financial institutions are expected to attend.

Later in the day, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will co-chair with Al-Shaibani the first EU-Syria High Level Political Dialogue, following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. EU officials described this meeting as a strategic shift from crisis management toward a longer-term partnership based on “stability, recovery and prosperity.” Commissioner Suica and the EU’s humanitarian chief, Hadja Lahbib, are also expected to participate.

The meetings follow a visit to Damascus in January by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, which EU officials said underscored Brussels’ support for the political transition in Syria.

The EU added that Monday’s talks provide an opportunity for the bloc to reaffirm its commitment to “an inclusive and peaceful transition” that reflects the aspirations of all Syrians and supports long-term regional stability.