BRUSSELS
\nThe European Council said on Monday it had adopted a decision terminating the partial suspension of the cooperation \u200cagreement between \u200cthe European Economic \u200cCommunity and the Syrian Arab Republic, thereby restoring fuller trade ties with Syria.
\nIt said the move marked \u200can \u200cimportant step \u200ctoward strengthening bilateral relations \u200cbetween the European Union and Syria.
\nThe decision \u201csends a clear \u200cpolitical signal of the EU\u2019s commitment to re-engage with Syria and support its economic recovery,\u201d the European Council added in a statement. An EU official said the aim was to back reconstruction of the country devastated by more than a decade of civil war that sent millions fleeing abroad, and where \u201cthe reality on the ground is still appalling.\u201d
\nSome 13 million Syrians \u2014 nearly half the population \u2014 depend on food assistance, the official said. Needs are enormous, and the EU has already pledged \u20ac620 million ($730 million) in aid for the 2026-2027 period.
\nBut Syria\u2019s stability also interests many EU countries because its nationals have made up the lion\u2019s share of asylum-seekers in the bloc over a decade \u2014 and there is a push for large numbers to eventually go back home.
\n\u201cWe need the Syrian transitional government to succeed in bringing stability to the country, because that\u2019s in our interest,\u201d said one EU diplomat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BRUSSELS The European Council said on Monday it had adopted a decision terminating the partial suspension of the cooperation \u200cagreement between \u200cthe European Economic \u200cCommunity and the Syrian Arab Republic, thereby restoring fuller trade ties with Syria. It said the move marked \u200can \u200cimportant step \u200ctoward strengthening bilateral relations \u200cbetween the European Union and Syria. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-545951","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n