Volker Perthes, a former UN under-secretary general and advisor on Syria, speaks to Rudaw on April 12, 2025. Photo: screengrab/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sanctions on Syria should be lifted so they do not hinder the country’s economic recovery after years of conflict, a former United Nations advisor told Rudaw in an interview on Saturday.
“What Syria needs now is an economic kickstart,” Volker Perthes, a former UN under-secretary general and advisor on Syria, told Rudaw’s Zinar Shino on Saturday.
“Diaspora Syrians are ready to invest, but sanctions still discourage banks from engaging,” he added.
In mid-March, the EU pledged $2.7 billion in aid for Syria, with Germany and the United Kingdom committing an additional $327 million and $200 million respectively for humanitarian relief. Weeks earlier, the EU had suspended sanctions on Syria’s energy, transport, and banking sectors to ease reconstruction and humanitarian transactions.
The EU said that it would “closely monitor the situation” and warned that sanctions could be reinstated if the new government “does not head in the right direction.” It also said that any new leadership must be inclusive and representative of Syria’s diverse society.
Perthes said that Syria’s future lies in the hands of Syrians, not the EU.
“The EU can’t solve domestic issues for Syria,” he said. “We may offer advice or support for transitional justice, but ultimately, these are Syrian decisions.”
The former advisor said that European policy toward Syria should not hinge on Damascus’ foreign relations, noting that Syria has made “clear decisions” to limit Iran’s and Russia’s role in domestic politics.
“How Syrians deal with Russia is their issue,” he said. “Whether they give Russia docking rights in Tartus [on the west coast] or not, this is not for Europeans to decide.”
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa late last month announced his new cabinet. He is under international pressure to ensure an inclusive, democratic government. The 23-minister cabinet includes members of minority communities. However, the appointments have raised eyebrows as ethnic and religious groups say they were not consulted during the appointment process.
There are also many concerns about Sharaa’s jihadist roots and the temporary constitution his administration adopted that relies on Islamic jurisprudence.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Rudaw in an exclusive interview in March that Germany and Europe “are ready to help them [new leadership in Damascus] lift sanctions for reconstruction, but there must be a political process in which all parties and all actors participate,” Baerbock said.
“Germany and Europe are not prepared to provide funding for Islamists,” she added.
“What Syria needs now is an economic kickstart,” Volker Perthes, a former UN under-secretary general and advisor on Syria, told Rudaw’s Zinar Shino on Saturday.
“Diaspora Syrians are ready to invest, but sanctions still discourage banks from engaging,” he added.
The EU said that it would “closely monitor the situation” and warned that sanctions could be reinstated if the new government “does not head in the right direction.” It also said that any new leadership must be inclusive and representative of Syria’s diverse society.
Perthes said that Syria’s future lies in the hands of Syrians, not the EU.
“The EU can’t solve domestic issues for Syria,” he said. “We may offer advice or support for transitional justice, but ultimately, these are Syrian decisions.”
The former advisor said that European policy toward Syria should not hinge on Damascus’ foreign relations, noting that Syria has made “clear decisions” to limit Iran’s and Russia’s role in domestic politics.
“How Syrians deal with Russia is their issue,” he said. “Whether they give Russia docking rights in Tartus [on the west coast] or not, this is not for Europeans to decide.”
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa late last month announced his new cabinet. He is under international pressure to ensure an inclusive, democratic government. The 23-minister cabinet includes members of minority communities. However, the appointments have raised eyebrows as ethnic and religious groups say they were not consulted during the appointment process.
There are also many concerns about Sharaa’s jihadist roots and the temporary constitution his administration adopted that relies on Islamic jurisprudence.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Rudaw in an exclusive interview in March that Germany and Europe “are ready to help them [new leadership in Damascus] lift sanctions for reconstruction, but there must be a political process in which all parties and all actors participate,” Baerbock said.
“Germany and Europe are not prepared to provide funding for Islamists,” she added.
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