The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has invited the interim Syrian government to Brussels for a donor conference. This decision—designed to promote investment in the country to secure strategic resources—comes just days after the massacre of thousands of civilians from ethnic and religious minorities at the hands of the army and militias affiliated with the Islamist terror group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS).
Despite the severity of these events, the European Union continues to provide financial and political support to the new Syrian administration without questioning its ties to these extremist groups. Deploying anodyne technocratic language, Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper used a press briefing to whitewash HTS murder:
We all have an interest in stabilizing Syria. Work must be done towards this goal, and it can only happen through an inclusive transition.
Entitled Supporting Syria: Meeting the Needs for a Successful Transition, it will be the first such event to take place after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December. The Syrian administration will officially participate in the summit for the first time, with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani representing Damascus at this donor meeting.
The EU has maintained an ambiguous stance on the recent massacre in Syria. Despite harrowing images circulating on social media and a debate held in Strasbourg on Tuesday, March 11, European institutions have preferred to keep a detached tone. “The European Union is deeply alarmed by the violence in Syria’s coastal region in recent days, which has resulted in numerous victims, including many civilians,” reads an official statement from the European Council. However, the declaration avoids directly mentioning HTS or the militias responsible for the massacre.
According to Ribal Al-Assad, founder and director of the Organisation for Democracy and Freedom in Syria:
If the EU truly understood the magnitude of what is happening in Syria, it wouldn’t just call it ‘violence.’ This is not a conflict; it is a large-scale campaign of sectarian massacres and ethnic cleansing carried out by Islamist extremist terrorist groups.
While the EU condemns the actions of pro-Assad militias, it simultaneously legitimizes the interim government. “The transition must be peaceful and inclusive, free from malignant foreign interference,” states the document—conveniently avoiding mention of the European funding reaching these groups. In other words, after supporting the overthrow of the previous regime, the EU now insists that there must be no foreign interference.
The European Council considers the agreement reached in Damascus on March 11th between Kurdish forces and the interim Syrian government to be a “significant step toward a better future.” Yet, not a single word was mentioned about the massacre of Christians and other minorities. In the European Parliament (EP), it was the Socialists who first dared to question the official stance—albeit timidly. “The European External Action Service did not provide adequate support,” noted a representative from Socialists and Democrats (S&D), referring to the weekend statement that failed to mention the massacre. However, their criticism went no further.
Conservatives, on the other hand, raised their voices against Brussels’ hypocrisy. A spokesperson for the Patriots for Europe group criticized how
Everyone has rushed to support the new Syria, but one regime can hide another. We must not forget that Assad’s regime could be replaced by one of radical Islamists.
Barely three months later, the new administration is committing massacres in the plain sight of the world, while Brussels turns a blind eye and continues to send funds. “Every time the West has aligned with extremists, the result has been more violence, more refugees, and more terrorism,” noted Ribal Al-Assad.
All this will come as news to the Brussels bubble, where an EP motion for a resolution welcomes
interim president Al-Shaara’s acknowledgement of Syria’s religious, political and cultural diversity and his pledge to work towards uniting the country, while taking note that the interim authorities currently do not yet reflect this diversity…
This would be hilarious if it wasn’t also true.
One of the most cynical actors in this crisis has been UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Barely a week after meeting with Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a former Al-Qaeda member and leader of HTS, Guterres appeared at the UN Commission on the Status of Women with a speech on patriarchal oppression. “Women’s rights are under siege. The poison of patriarchy is back and in full force,” he declared—without mentioning the Islamists he had legitimized just days before with his visit.
Meanwhile, European money continues to flow into Syria. Since 2017, Brussels has allocated more than €500 million to the country, with over €100 million coming from Germany alone. And on March 17th, the interim government in Damascus could secure another multimillion-euro funding round to ensure European interests in the region.
