BRUSSELS, December 10. /TASS/. The EU heads of state and government will discuss the situation in Syria after the end of Bashar Assad's rule at the year's final summit on December 19, European Council President Antonio Costa announced.
"Syria will be a topic at the upcoming European Council on December 19," he wrote on his X page.
According to Costa, he remains "in close contact with leaders in the Middle East on the matter, to assess the situation." "Respect for human rights & minority protection as well as the territorial integrity of the country are key for the EU," he added.
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.