ANKARA, Turkey: European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said Tuesday that Brussels would intensify its “direct engagement” with Syria’s new rulers after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
She also warned against a resurgence of the Islamic State group in Syria, saying it “must not” be allowed to happen.
Speaking after talks in Ankara with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, she said the EU would increase its own contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that ousted Assad.
“Now we have to step up and continue our direct engagement with HTS and other factions,” she said.
European countries are wrestling with their approach to HTS. Earlier this week, the EU sent a senior diplomat to Syria to directly engage with the interim government.
Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday and the EU is also planning to reopen its mission there following “constructive” talks with its new leadership, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday.
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In Ankara, Von der Leyen also warned that the Islamic State group could reemerge in Syria.
“The risk of a Daesh resurgence… is real. We cannot let this happen,” she said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
Turkey has launched several military operations in Syria since 2016 to battle IS militants and Kurdish forces.
Syria Since Assad’s Ouster
It has been nine days since HTS and allied groups ousted Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria.
European Diplomats in Damascus
A French diplomatic delegation arrived Tuesday at the country’s embassy in Damascus, which has been shuttered for years, an AFP correspondent said.
Britain and Germany have also said they had sent delegations to hold talks with Syria’s new leadership.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Rome was “ready to engage with the new Syrian leadership”, but urged “maximum caution”.
“Words must be followed by actions and we will judge the new Syrian authorities on their actions,” she said.
EU nations, like others in the West, are wary of Syria’s new leadership, with HTS listed as a “terrorist” group by a number of governments.
Groups to be Disbanded
HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said that all groups in Syria would “be disbanded and the fighters trained to join the ranks of the defence ministry”.
“All will be subject to the law,” Sharaa said on his group’s Telegram channel.
Assad Breaks Silence
Assad released his first statement since his ouster, saying he fled to Russia only after Damascus fell, calling the new leadership “terrorists”.
“My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles,” said the statement on the ousted presidency’s Telegram channel.
Former officials had told AFP that Assad was already out of the country hours before HTS and allied groups seized Damascus.
Iran said on Tuesday it was waiting for the “necessary conditions” before reopening its embassy in Damascus.
UN Aid Call
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, on a visit to Damascus, on Monday said seven out of 10 Syrians needed aid.
“We want to get a massive flow of support into Syria, really scale up fast,” he said. “Food, medicine, shelter, but also the funds to redevelop Syria that people can believe in again. We want a hopeful narrative for Syria.”
UN refugee agency UNHCR said it expects around one million people uprooted during the war to return to Syria in the first half of 2025.
