The European Union is set to suspend some sanctions on Syria from next week, in efforts to help the country rebuild and redevelop following over a decade of war and the fall of the late Assad regime.
According to unnamed diplomats cited by Reuters news agency, the EU is set to approve the lifting of sanctions from Syria’s banking, energy, and transport sectors at the bloc’s foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday.
The reported planned sanctions relief follows on from the EU’s announcement of a preliminary accord last month to suspend the measures in key areas of the country’s economic system.
As outlined during that previous announcement, the diplomats this week reiterated that those sanctions could be reimposed if Syria’s new administration violates expectations to respect the rights of minorities and move towards a democratic system.