European Union diplomats will make contact this week with the new Syrian authorities from the Islamist organisation HTS, whose rebels caused the downfall of Bashar al-Assad.
The matter will be discussed starting Monday among EU foreign ministers from the 27 Member States, meeting in Brussels on Monday. This will be the first Foreign Affairs Council chaired by Kaja Kallas, the new head of EU diplomacy.
The Estonian official announced upon arrival at the meeting that she had instructed a senior European diplomat in Syria to go to Damascus and engage with the new government, which will occur starting today.
"We will discuss today in the Council how we will interact with the new Syrian leaders and at what level, and what additional steps we are prepared to take if we see that Syria is heading in the right direction," Kallas said.
"For us, it’s not just about words but also actions," added the High Representative. "The coming weeks and months will show whether they are moving in the right direction."
Last week, the Commission indicated that the EU was not in contact with HTS or its leaders. The organisation is considered a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council.
Belgium not phased
Last week, Belgium's outgoing Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt says there is no immediate need for concern in the West regarding Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a prominent Syrian Islamist group.
"HTS has no international agenda for the time being, but it does have a regional agenda. Moreover, leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani has broken with al-Qaeda, is pursuing a more moderate course and is not calling for attacks against the West," Van Tigchelt said on Radio 1's De Ochtend.
While HTS remains classified as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, Van Tigchelt suggested that its role could evolve. "It cannot be ruled out that [HTS] will one day become a partner of the West, in the context of the normalisation of relations with the country. It is time for the situation there to normalise somewhat. Anything that can contribute to that, we should perhaps support."
