BRUSSELS, December 9. /TASS/. The European Commission has had no contact with the armed opposition which seized power in Syria, including the Hay·at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, outlawed in Russia) and its leader Ahmed Hussein al-Shar'a, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. EC Spokesman Anouar El Anouni says the European Commission still considers them a terrorist organization.
"The European Commission has no contacts with them, period. The HTS is on the list of EU terrorist organizations, and all EU countries are aligned on this. Any reconsideration would require unanimous approval, and for this to happen, we need to see actions from them, not just words," he said, underscoring that "speculating about possible further steps would be premature at this point."
The spokesman also underscored that the European Commission is not yet ready to reconsider the several rounds of sanctions it imposed against Syrian officials during the reign of Bashar Assad since 2011. Currently, EC sanctions against Syria cover over 400 people and legal entities.
Answering a reporter about the migration situation in the EU after the change of power in Syria, he said that it is too early to comment on that, but the European Commission believes that the bulk of the Syrian refugee diaspora "would be happy to return" home.
Statements by EU High Representative
On Sunday, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said on her X page that the end of Assad’s reign is a "positive and long-awaited development" for the European Commission, adding that the EC welcomed the change of power.
On Monday, in a separate statement, she called on all regional actors to "preserve the territorial integrity of Syria," to "refrain from violence" and to begin an "inclusive pan-Syrian dialogue, led by the Syrians." Kallas called to respect Syria’s sovereignty and to "refrain from all forms of extremism." In addition, she considers it necessary to ensure the protection of civilians, including the Christians, and "protect Syria’s rich cultural heritage."
On November 27, armed opposition militias initiated a large-scale offensive against positions of the Syrian army in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. By the evening of December 7, they had taken several major cities (Aleppo, Hama, Daraa, and Homs), and entered Damascus on December 8. The government forces left the city. Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali expressed his readiness for a peaceful transfer of power in the republic. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement, Syrian President Bashar Assad resigned and left the country, having ordered a peaceful transfer of power.