Situation at a glance: Difficult discussions about the future of Syria

After the fall of long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, international diplomacy sees opportunities for peaceful development in the battered country, but also risks. At a summit in Brussels, the leaders of the EU states called on the EU Commission and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to develop options for possible measures to support Syria.

However, UN Secretary General António Guterres is concerned about the country’s further development: “Although the situation in parts of Syria has stabilized, the conflict is far from over,” he warned in New York.

Baerbock speaks about the Syria crisis in Ankara

Meanwhile, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is traveling to Turkey today for talks about the situation in Syria. The Green politician is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara. Baerbock is likely to call on Turkey to contribute to stability in Syria. Since the coup, Turkey has been considered the most important foreign actor in Syria. It has ties to the Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), under whose leadership a rebel alliance overthrew ruler Assad on December 8th.

HTS is currently still on the United Nations terror list and is subject to EU sanctions. EU leaders did not say in their summit statement whether they envisage a rapid lifting of sanctions against the Islamist group. They called on the new rulers to ensure respect for human rights and the protection of members of religious and ethnic minorities.

Syrians in Damascus demonstrate for women’s rights

Critics are already warning that the EU risks enormous damage to its image if it turns out in a few months that the new rulers are not as moderate as they currently appear to be. In the Syrian capital Damascus, hundreds of people demonstrated for democracy, women’s rights and a secular state. Statements by HTS spokesman Obaida Arnaut on Lebanese television about the role of women had caused criticism. Arnaut said, among other things, that women are unsuitable for the position of defense minister or for roles in the judiciary because of their “biological nature”.

Christians, Alawites and other minorities fear possible repression after Assad’s fall. HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who until recently appeared under his nom de guerre Mohammed al-Julani, recently appeared moderate and promised a Syria for everyone. Baerbock wants to talk about the protection of minorities in Syria during her visit to Ankara.

Türkiye takes action against Syrian Kurdish militia

Before her trip to Turkey, Baerbock also acknowledged the role of the Kurds in the fight against the overthrown Assad regime in the Bundestag. Turkey is accused of wanting to use the power vacuum in Syria to destroy the areas in northern Syria that are under the administration of Kurdish militias. Turkish-backed rebels have advanced against the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG in recent weeks. Ankara sees the YPG as an offshoot of the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK and therefore a terrorist organization.

The Kurds have been fearing a major offensive against the Syrian-Kurdish border town of Kobane for days. At least 100,000 people have been displaced in the north since the attacks by pro-Turkish militias. UN chief Guterres called for a cessation of fighting in the north. Many EU member states fundamentally hope that Syria will become a safe country again under new leadership and that Syrian refugees can then voluntarily return to their homeland or otherwise be deported.

EU prepares possible support for Syria

The options for possible measures to support Syria that the EU Commission and EU Foreign Affairs Representative Kallas should now develop could include the lifting of existing economic sanctions and reconstruction aid for the destruction caused by the long-standing civil war. So far, only humanitarian aid has been provided to civil society because the EU did not want to support Assad’s tyranny.