Source: European Parliament
On 17 March 2025, the EU hosted the ninth Brussels Conference ‘Standing with Syria: Meeting the Needs for a Successful Transition’.
The Syrian Interim Foreign Minister was invited and attended the conference, alongside international and regional partners and Syrian civil society.
This invitation reflected the EU’s engagement in supporting an inclusive and peaceful transition guided by the respect of international law, human rights, pluralism and non-discrimination, and addressing Syria’s humanitarian and economic needs.
Gravely alarmed by the violence in Syria’s coastal region on 6 March 2025, on 11 March 2025, the High Representative/Vice-President issued a statement[1] on behalf of the EU, strongly condemning the horrific crimes committed against civilians.
The EU welcomed the transitional authorities’ establishment of an investigative committee, and called for a swift, transparent and impartial investigation to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and to prevent any such crimes from happening again.
It further called on the transitional authorities to allow the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic to investigate all violations.
The EU continues to be a staunch supporter of accountability mechanisms in Syria, including the Impartial and Independent Mechanism and the Independent Institution on Missing Persons.
The EU continues to call for an end of violence across Syria, urges all parties to protect all Syrians without any form of discrimination, notably on the basis of ethnic and religious background, and advocates an inclusive, peaceful, Syrian-owned and Syrian-led transition built on the respect of international law and human rights.
- [1] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/03/11/syria-statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-on-the-recent-wave-of-violence/