Syrian finance minister discusses finances, sanctions with EU officials

29/1/2025 18:14

Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Abazeed discussed his country's financial position and potential sanctions relief in his first meeting with European Union officials on Wednesday since Islamist rebels ousted the Assad regime last year.



Abazeed met with Germany's temporary envoy to Syria Bjorn Gehrmann and EU representative Michael Ohnmacht in Damascus just days after the European Union agreed on a roadmap to ease its sanctions on Syria.



The EU has a range of sanctions in place targeting both individuals and economic sectors in Syria, including a ban on Syrian oil exports and restrictions on access to global financial channels.



"We hope that the image Germany had of Syria before December 8 will change," Abazeed told Gehrmann at the beginning of the meeting.



"It's a pleasure to be here in the new Syria after almost 13 years of absence,"Gehrmann responded.



Gehrmann told Reuters after the meeting that the EU was still hammering out the details of which sanctions would be lifted in Brussels and it could take a few weeks.