Brussels, May 11 (SANA) Syria and the European Union convened a high-level partnership coordination and political dialogue forum in Brussels on Monday, opening what both sides described as a new phase in bilateral relations built on strategic partnership rather than emergency aid.
The EU Council simultaneously announced the full reinstatement of the cooperation agreement originally signed with Syria in 1977 (entered into force in 1978), ending a partial suspension imposed in 2011 and restoring the relationship to clear legal and institutional ground.
A culmination of post-liberation rapprochement
The Brussels forum marks the high point of a period of accelerating Syria-EU engagement that took off following the liberation of December 8, 2024. Most European capitals moved quickly to reopen ties with Damascus, lifting sanctions, easing economic restrictions, and engaging in recovery and reconstruction tracks — ending a prolonged era of isolation tied to the deposed regime.
That momentum deepened following President Ahmad al-Sharaa‘s visits to France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Cyprus, which restored Syria’s standing as an international partner, particularly in energy, infrastructure, and the refugee return file.
From aid logic to strategic partnership
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said at a press conference that bridging years of estrangement with Brussels requires clear institutional work, stressing that the forum aims to move beyond emergency aid toward a partnership grounded in equal footing and mutual commitments.
He said the proposed framework rests on three pillars: The 1978 cooperation agreement, the EU’s April 23 position affirming Syria’s unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and a nationally owned Syrian recovery priorities roadmap.
Syria is seeking to expand cooperation with the EU across infrastructure, energy, health, and education, and views the partnership as a key enabler of voluntary, safe, and dignified refugee return from Europe — through the rebuilding of institutions and essential services.
Brussels pledges €355 million
EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica called the Brussels meeting a good and historic day for relations between the two sides, reaffirming the bloc’s commitment to resuming the partnership agreement as a step toward Syria’s full reintegration as a partner.
She announced a first financial package of €175 million, with a second tranche of €180 million to follow by year’s end, aimed at supporting reconstruction, unlocking investment, and encouraging European and international development banks to engage in recovery projects.
The EU has framed its support as serving its own strategic interests — reinforcing stability in the eastern Mediterranean, opening new channels for economic cooperation, and securing supply chains in the aftermath of the American-Israeli war on Iran.
Kh.A
