Saudi Arabia, UAE try to lobby EU countries to restore ties with Syria
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Bloomberg reports that Saudi and Emirati officials are lobbying Europeans to lift sanctions on the country.
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King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud speaks to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud ahead of the opening of the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2012. (AP)
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are actively lobbying European countries to restore diplomatic ties with the Syrian government and ease sanctions on the country, according to Bloomberg.
The report says officials have been mobilizing at various levels with their European counterparts in the European Union for several months.
Diplomats of the two Gulf countries have tried to convince EU officials that lifting the sanctions imposed on Damascus is an integral part of any solution to the Syrian crisis, adding that diplomatic moves will not suffice if sanctions remain.
Bloomberg reported that the delegates argued that an economic recovery would encourage millions of Syrian refugees to return home, thereby elevating the strain on neighboring Lebanon and Jordan, which have been hosting refugees since the start of the war on Syria.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's current visit to France, where he is scheduled to meet with President Emmanuel Macron, is expected to touch on Middle Eastern and international topics, but it is unclear whether Syria will be a specific focus.
Despite the lobbying efforts by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, key EU nations, such as France and Germany, have already ruled out restoring ties with Syria.
"Let me be clear — the conditions are not in place for the EU to change its policy on Syria," EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell claimed at a Syria donors conference in Brussels, Belgium.
Borrell said such a step would necessitate that the Syrian government implement political reforms and adhere to United Nations resolutions.
GCC returns to Syria
The reported diplomatic mobilization by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the EU circles comes after the countries' relations with the Syrian Arab Republic improved significantly leading to the resumption of economic and diplomatic activity, as well as Syria's readmission into the Arab League.
In his speech at the 32nd Arab Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian President said, "It is a historic opportunity to rearrange our [Arab] affairs with minimum foreign interference, which requires repositioning ourselves in this emerging world so that we can become active members of its order. This requires investing in the positive atmosphere arising from the reconciliations that preceded the summit."
Indeed, after the conclusion of the summit, Syrian-Saudi relations continued to improve as Saudi Prime Minister MBS met with the Syrian President and discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and developments in the Arab region.
This was followed up by a statement from the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), on June 11, which "affirmed its firm positions toward preserving the territorial integrity of the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic, respecting its independence and sovereignty over its lands."
In a statement published on its website, the Ministerial Council expressed its rejection of regional interference in Syria's "internal affairs, and supporting a political solution to the Syrian crisis in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions."
Furthermore, the council underlined the importance of "continuing and supporting all efforts aimed at helping Syria overcome its crisis, and the need to take practical and effective steps to gradually resolve the Syrian crisis."
