Ashraf AboArafe
For the European Union, stability in the region is very important. Because our neighbour’s problems today, are our problems tomorrow. And therefore, I am very glad that we had this meeting together with the international actors as well as with the regional actors.
Syria faces a hopeful but uncertain future. And that’s why we all agreed on principles that the new leadership of Syria should follow, and which are very important to all of us. That is stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, but also respect for minorities, no radicalization, the build-up of institutions, unity of government – that includes all the groups in Syria – and also accountability for the crimes committed.
The European Union is ready to do more. We are the biggest humanitarian aid providers so far, but these principles are very important to us. These principles must be followed by the new Syrian leadership.
On Monday, we will have a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the European Union where we will also discuss our engagement with Syria and other aspects around Syria’s build-up. We are also interested in the rebuilding and reconstruction of Syria. We have been organizing the Brussels Syria forum for the last nine years to talk about the will of the Syrian people, but also the reconstruction of Syria. It is in the interest of both the regional actors as well as the European Union or international actors that there is stability in the region.
So once again, thank you very much for convening this meeting and looking forward to working with you on these principles.
