Thirteen years of civil war could not remove him from office. On the contrary: Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad remains firmly in the saddle. For this reason, several EU countries – including Austria – are calling for rapprochement with Damascus.
“As bitter as it is, with the help of Iran and Russia, the Assad regime remains firmly in the saddle,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said Monday ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday. The EU must not be blind to this reality and must adjust its policies accordingly. A “non-paper” (informal policy proposals at EU level) presented on Monday is also supported by Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia and Slovakia.
In a joint letter with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Schallenberg justifies the requested policy change in light of the people fleeing Syria to Europe because of the country’s civil war. “Syria remains the source of the largest displacement crisis in the world, with 13.8 million internally displaced people and refugees. (…) We feel these effects far beyond the Middle East, including in Italy, Austria and the rest of Europe.”
One of the goals: return of Syrian refugees
The above-mentioned states now want to initiate a discussion in the Council of the European Union. Among other things, consideration is being given to greater equal treatment of the various civil war parties at diplomatic level. The EU must also appoint a representative of Syria who will maintain contacts with all parties. In addition, the EU must work towards a situation in the country in which the “safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrian refugees” is possible, “under the assumption that security guarantees are the responsibility of the regime”.
Two-thirds of the country is back in Assad’s hands
As part of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’, there were also protests against the Assad government in Syria in the spring of 2011. The regime took violent action against the country, which led to a civil war. Assad now controls two-thirds of the country again. The northwest is under the control of opposition forces.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
