Italy foreign minister meets Syria’s new rulers, calls for sanctions talks

Antonio Tajani, the new rulers of Syria, the country’s foreign minister, has arranged for talks with the EU to relax sanctions placed on the then-regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Tajani met Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday, saying that sanctions imposed after al-Assad’s crackdown on antigovernment protests that triggered the country’s 13-year civil war “absolutely must not hit the Syrian population”.

Because a different regime existed, they were imposed. It’s important to open discussions on the changed situation”, he said, refering to last month’s opposition takeover of the country, led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham armed group, which brought al-Assad’s rule to an abrupt end.

As a bridge between Damascus and the EU, Tajani claimed that Italy wanted to assist Syria in regaining its lost civil war and rebuilding its crumbling economy.

“The Mediterranean can no longer just be a sea of death, a cemetery of migrants but a sea of commerce a sea of development”, he said.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Damascus, said the meeting with al-Sharaa was “quite significant”.

It [gives you the impression that the international community is aware that this new administration is a new reality and wants to do business with it.]

‘ Tangible progress ‘ needed

After holding talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and government representatives from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in Rome on Thursday, Tajani made his way to Damascus.

He claimed that the so-called Quintet’s meeting in Syria was essential to sparked discussion about a change to the EU sanctions.

If Syria’s new rulers established an inclusive government that protects minorities, Kallas claimed earlier on Friday that the 27-nation bloc could start lifting sanctions.

According to Kallas, “the EU could gradually ease sanctions if there is tangible progress.”

In Damascus, Tajani also met Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, who announced that he would soon make his first official tour of Europe.

Al-Shaibani has already visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan since the start of the month.

Al-Shaibani said he welcomed Tajani’s focus on sanctions.

We agree with him that the reasons for imposing them no longer apply and could stifle efforts to encourage refugees returning from other countries in Syria.

In Syria’s war, more than half a million people died, forcing millions of people to flee their homes, including to Europe, and also tormented the economy.