The European Union has pledged further political and financial support to the Syrian transitional government despite ongoing attacks on the Kurdish civilian population in Aleppo. During her first official visit to Damascus on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with self-proclaimed transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa and held out the prospect of close cooperation in rebuilding the country.
The EU will “do everything in its power” to help Syria with reconstruction, von der Leyen said on X after the meeting. EU Council President António Costa even praised the new regime in Damascus for ‘progress’ in the transition process and spoke of a possible “new beginning” in relations.
Ignored reality in Aleppo
The serious human rights violations committed by Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed militias under the command of the Damascus Ministry of Defense in Aleppo remained unanswered. For days, units of the transitional government have been besieging and bombing the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiyah and Beni Zeyd in the north of the city. According to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and its institutions, numerous civilians have been killed or injured in the process. There are reports of systematic attacks, kidnappings, and the use of young Kurds as human shields.
A joint statement by 90 Kurdish parties and civil society organizations described the action as an “organized occupation attack” and accused the Islamist government of using violence to exert political pressure on the autonomous administration. The attacks began immediately after the latest talks on the possible integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state structures. The SDF had signaled a willingness to compromise, but observers now see the attacks as effectively ending the dialogue.
Özdemir: Von der Leyen normalizes a violent regime
Cansu Özdemir, foreign policy spokesperson for the Left Party faction in the Bundestag, sharply criticized the EU’s stance. “While the Islamist Al-Sharaa regime attacks Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, massacres civilians, and forces them to flee, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, travels to Damascus and normalizes a violent regime,” said the politician.” This is not diplomatic dialogue. Anyone who courts such a violent regime is abandoning any claim to an EU foreign policy based on human rights. Even the German government has so far failed to respond appropriately to the situation.”
Damascus: “Good talks on reconstruction”
The EU is an important donor to Syria and recently lifted the sanctions imposed during the civil war. This was met with incomprehension by human rights organizations. Critics accuse Brussels of focusing on foreign policy stability without imposing serious conditions on democracy, renunciation of violence, or coming to terms with the past. In the official communiqué from the so-called Syrian presidency after the talks with von der Leyen and Costa, there was cynical talk of “good talks on reconstruction, humanitarian cooperation, and the refugee issue in Europe.”