The European Union must "intensify" its relationship with Syrian rebels HTS, which has been in power in Syria since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.
"We must now intensify our direct engagement with HTS and other factions," she said after a meeting in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, had indicated shortly before from Strasbourg that the EU was ‘ready’ to reopen its embassy in Damascus, just over a week after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Ursula von der Leyen also said that the EU and its allies "cannot allow" the "resurgence" in Syria of the jihadist group Islamic State (ISIL), which has never been completely eradicated.
"The risk of a resurgence of the ISIL is real," she said, stressing that "the unity of the (Syrian) nation must be respected and minorities protected."
Erdogan said that Syria could not be a "hotbed of terrorism", arguing that ‘there is no place for either the Islamic State or the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) and its affiliates in the future of our region’.
Between 2016 and 2019, Turkey, a member of NATO, carried out three major military operations in northern Syria targeting both IS and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), considered by Ankara to be an extension of the PKK.
Embassy reopening
The European Union will also reopen its diplomatic representation in the Syrian capital Damascus, the High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, announced on Tuesday.
"We cannot leave a vacuum in Syria. The EU must be present," Kallas explained the decision on social media. She said the EU has already made ‘tentative’ contact with the new leaders and civil society and is now also going to reopen its embassy "to show constructive engagement" and "get input on the ground".
Kallas already sent the EU chargé d'affaires for Syria to Damascus on Monday to make initial contacts. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said on Tuesday after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the EU should ‘intensify’ its relationship with HTS.
