اروپا تودی: گفت‌وگوی اختصاصی وزیر خارجه سوریه با یورونیوز پس از مذاکرات تاریخی با اروپا

euronews (بزبان فارسی)

اروپا تودی: گفت‌وگوی اختصاصی وزیر خارجه سوریه با یورونیوز پس از مذاکرات تاریخی با اروپا  ماریا تادیو، دبیر اروپای یورونیوز، پس از گفت‌وگوهای تاریخی این هفته اتحادیه اروپا و سوریه، به‌طور اختصاصی با وزیر خارجه سوریه اسعد حسن الشیبانی مصاحبه کرد؛ گفت‌وگوهایی که به احیای کامل موافقت‌نامه همکاری دو طرف انجامید.  لب بیشتر : http://parsi.euronews.com/2026/05/13/europe-today-syrian-foreign-minister-speaks-exclusively-to-euronews-after-landmark-eu-syri  مشترک شوید: یورونیوز به یازده زبان دیگر در دسترس شماست

Transcript

00:14Good morning, it is Wednesday the 13th of May. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today,

00:21your daily digest of European news and context, live here on Euronews.

00:26Coming up in headlines that bring back memories of the global Covid pandemic, Spain has confirmed

00:31a positive hantavirus case among passengers who disembarked from a cruise ship in Tenerife

00:36this week. The World Health Organization says more cases will come but insists there are

00:42no signs of a new pandemic. This as Hungary swears in a brand new government under freshly

00:48elected Prime Minister Peter Maia. The move brings an end to the 16 years of Viktor Orbán's

00:54rule. We'll hear who's who in the new administration with our correspondent in Budapest.

00:59And with the world's attention focused on the deadlock between the US and Iran over the

01:04Strait of Hormuz, Israeli bulldozers have been tearing down Palestinian shops near Jerusalem,

01:10clearing land for a settlement-linked road project. Just this week, the EU signed off on sanctions

01:15against Israeli settlers over violence in the occupied West Bank. But first, Syria is in

01:21the spotlight this week with Damascus holding high-level political talks with the European

01:25Union here in Brussels. In an exclusive sit-down with Euronews, Syria's foreign minister said

01:31the country will not allow a, quote, rushed, unorganised return of Syrian citizens from Europe.

01:37Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani called on the European Union to support the reconstruction

01:42of his country after the brutal civil war. Our European editor, Maria Tadeo, sat down with

01:48the minister and is here on set this morning to bring us up to speed. First, tell us about

01:52these talks in Brussels.

01:53Well, Maeve, the talks obviously come at a pivotal moment for Syria. This is a country

01:58that is clearly in a political transition, is coming off of two very difficult decades,

02:05completely turbulent on a political front, a civil war that lasted almost 14 years, very

02:10brutal. Obviously, that also led to a massive wave of Syrians who left the country, many of

02:17which, of course, ended up in Europe. The authorities now in Syria, led by President

02:23al-Sharab, they argue that this is a moment to rebuild, reconstruct, and make this country more

02:30stable. They have, of course, reached out to the United States. They are in close ties with Turkey,

02:36the Gulf countries. But another key partner in this, and they say this openly, this came up multiple

02:41times in my interview with the foreign minister, is the European Union. At this stage,

02:45as it stands, the European Union has lifted sanctions on Syria to give the economy a breather.

02:51It also is now moving into the full implementation of a cooperation agreement between the two countries.

02:57Obviously, the goal, again, is for the EU to play what they argue would be a stabilizer role

03:02in the country. And for Syria, it's about rebuilding the economy. So we have conditions

03:07for people to return and get this country back on track to the extent that it's possible

03:11in the shortest amount of time. Now, the EU, however, will say to fully restore ties with

03:17Syria. The authorities, the government there, needs to ensure that the minorities, both religious and

03:22ethnic, are respected and they have equal rights. This principle of inclusivity is incredibly

03:27important for Brussels. So the message that was stressed to the Syrians, as I'm told by a number

03:32of diplomats, is that, yes, there is a window of opportunity. The EU wants to see a partnership that

03:37could see this country finally becoming stable in the Middle East. They also see it as a way to

03:42counter what they describe are malign actors, including Russia, of course, a sad flood to Moscow

03:47immediately after his fall. But they also insist this principle of inclusivity is incredibly important

03:52for the European Union to move ahead.

03:55And the issue, of course, of migration played a big role as well.

03:57Well, this is this is absolutely a huge topic as it stands, because not just when you look at it

04:03through the prism of the EU, but really European governments, we are seeing that the political

04:07landscape in Europe is changing. Obviously, the discourse around migration, asylum rules and

04:13refugee status, which are three different things to some extent, is certainly much tougher. It has

04:19really hardened Germany, which is a country that took in the highest number of Syrians, has now

04:24completely changed its narrative from we will manage dealing with almost one million people who

04:29arrived in Germany to now the Chancellor saying we need to accelerate the returns because the war is

04:34over and they need to rebuild this country. That was a question that I put to Syria's Foreign Minister

04:39Al-Shabani, and he told me, yes, they agree there is a need to rebuild the country, but it will

04:44not be

04:44chaotic. Syria has not committed to a specific number of people returning to the country. Let's take a look.

04:52There was no agreement on this matter, and there was no agreement on the number of Syrians

04:57to return to Syria. There has been talks about Syrian refugees in Europe and in Germany in particular,

05:02and there are talks and an agreement on a mechanism that will not hinder the process of reconstruction

05:07in Syria today. This is another thing I do not agree with, especially since today European countries

05:13no longer accept granting asylum to those who leave Syria, especially since today they believe that the

05:18situation in Syria evolved with a secure and stable law. However, we have warned against this matter,

05:24that imposing an involuntary and undignified return of Syrians will lead to chaos in Syria,

05:30and that the situation in Syria needs to create an appropriate environment.

05:36And you can watch the rest of that interview on Euronews. But now, EU defence ministers have

05:42wrapped up talks in Brussels with the bloc's top diplomat, Kayakalas, expressing frustration

05:47over the lack of progress in boosting arms production here in the EU. A big focus of the talks was

05:53also

05:53on how Ukraine should use a slice of the €90 billion loan for defence acquisitions.

05:59Our EU correspondent, Angela Skugins, asked Estonia's defence minister, that's Hanno Pevkor,

06:04how confident he was, though, that these EU funds won't be misused. This is in light,

06:09of course, of the corruption scandal engulfing Selensky's former chief of staff,

06:13Andrew Yermak.

06:14Well, we need to have the accountability in place, so there is no question.

06:19I believe it is definitely something Ukrainians are looking into very, like, seriously,

06:27because it's also important for them that there are no, like, rumours or no problems involved

06:34with that kind of assistance, because at the end of the day, they need to get the support

06:40up and running for next years to come. And then even when the war will be over or if the

06:45war

06:45will be over, then Ukrainians still need our assistance, our help to rebuild Ukraine and

06:50to help them to be a normal European country. So this is why it is first and foremost for

06:57the Ukrainians to show for their own people and for us that everything is in good shape.

07:05And talks on security and defence will continue today in Bucharest in the president of Ukraine's

07:11President Zelensky and NATO's eastern flank countries. But now moving on, EU institutions

07:16are getting ready for a long bank holiday weekend here in Belgium. But it won't be relaxing given

07:22nerves are high over President Donald Trump's big trip to China tonight. With Brussels often caught

07:28up in the middle of the two great superpowers, this trip will be closely watched. Our Jakub

07:33Janus tells us why you should watch it too.

07:37For the first time since 2017, Donald Trump visits

07:41China. China is China. China. China. China.

07:44Yeah, I think you got it. Meeting Xi Jinping to discuss Iran nuclear weapons, trade and AI.

07:50The self-styled dealmaker arrives with a weakened hand.

07:54Because let me tell you, you don't have the cards. And between the increasingly unpopular Iran war at

07:59home and domestic courts striking down his tariffs, Trump needs a win. So your reporters started to

08:06wonder, what could this mean for Europe? Alright, first, the security bargain. Xi Jinping wants a

08:14signal that Washington is stepping back from Taiwan. And if Trump treats the island's security as a

08:19bargaining chip to secure China's help in ending the war in Iran, he might hollow out Europe's own

08:25strategic commitments in the Indo-Pacific. And Trump is also under pressure to relax chip export's

08:32controls for quick business deals. And if he trades away this edge, Washington and Beijing will set the

08:38global standards for AI alone with Europe becoming just a rule-taker, not maker. And finally, there is the

08:45trade squeeze. European firms are already struggling to compete with cheap Chinese goods at home.

08:51So if Trump relaxes tariffs, the flood of cheaper electronic vehicles and steel might result in

08:58European exporters losing their competitive advantage in the US to the same Chinese rivals that are

09:03already flooding European shores. And speaking of trade, let's not forget Trump has given the EU a

09:10deadline until the 4th of July to finalize a new US-EU trade deal or face 25% tariffs on

09:17cars.

09:18And in Brussels, the center-right EPP group is rushing to settle as a weekend Trump could turn his

09:24attention towards Europe next. However, socialists are standing firm, insisting that European legislation

09:31will not be shaped by threats on social media. Huh, and it's a cliche to say that the Chinese word

09:38for

09:38crisis, Wei Qi is translated as a danger and opportunity. And while Wei is indeed danger,

09:46a better translation for Qi is a crucial point. And it seems that for Europe, that crucial point

09:53is happening now.

09:59And now for the view from Australia on Trump's China trip and the freshly signed EU-Australia trade deal,

10:05I'm joined here in the studio by the Australian ambassador to the European Union and NATO. That

10:10is Mr. Angus Campbell. Good morning and welcome to Europe today.

10:12Hi, Maeve. Thanks very much.

10:14Great. So as we're sitting here, President Trump is en route to China with tech leaders like Elon Musk

10:19and Tim Cook. What are you looking out for during this?

10:22Look, it's clearly a very important meeting. And it's important for the two countries. It's important for

10:27the world. A constructive relationship between China and the United States is something that I think

10:33we all hope for. And indeed, there are many issues that if they work together, can be of great benefit

10:40to our world. So I wish them success. And I'm very pleased. And I think that we should all be

10:46very

10:46pleased that they are talking and that a summit is occurring. And it's now up to the dialogue and what

10:55outcomes might emerge. And of course, Australia signed a massive trade deal with Brussels this

11:00very year, precisely to reduce dependencies on China for critical raw materials. Will that work,

11:05though? Look, we're delighted with the free trade agreement. The negotiations have concluded.

11:10President von der Leyen visited Australia to make the announcement with Prime Minister Albanese.

11:15The process now sees the agreement go through the ratification mechanisms. But this is a deal

11:24it's been negotiated for 10 years. Very careful, very sensitive, acknowledging concerns and interests

11:31on both sides. And I'm confident that we're seeing a balance deal here, which is comprehensive,

11:38which is going to be a benefit to both sides. And it brings the two communities closer together.

11:44Australians trading into Europe, Europeans trading into Australia, almost all barriers and tariffs

11:50removed. It's a good deal. It's a good deal. But will that help you wean off the dependencies on China?

11:55We have a constructive and a very significant trading relationship with China. And I think that

12:00that's going to continue. But we have a diverse trading relationship across the world. So Australia

12:06trades into North America, into the ASEAN nations, to South Asia, North Asia, into Europe.

12:14We're an island continent dependent on global trade, on the rules of trade. And free trade agreements

12:22matter because they enable the prosperity for all.

12:28And defence plays a big role as well in this trade deal. Tell us more. And do Australians support

12:31the fact that you're helping Ukraine?

12:33So in parallel to the announcement of the negotiations of a free trade agreement coming to conclusion,

12:39there was also the announcement of a security and defence partnership between Australia and the EU.

12:44And that's another step forward in building a relationship across the breadth of security and

12:50defence, often in areas of hybrid or advanced technology or things that are geographically borderless.

12:59And our Australian taxpayers come through with this.

13:01And people are very supportive of the idea that we reach out and we build more connections with

13:07more friends on more issues because by doing so we are better prepared in a world that's perhaps

13:13less predictable and more complex. And with a very transactional president as well in the White House.

13:18One final question on the social media ban that the European Union wants to copy from Australia.

13:22Is it working though? How are you enforcing it?

13:24So the social media ban is about a relationship with large social media companies. A bipartisan parliamentary

13:31concern for the wellbeing of our children and indeed the increasing evidence scientifically of that

13:38concern. And a relationship with those social media companies to see their restraint on access

13:46until the age of 16 for young people in Australia. And we think it's the right way to move.

13:52And we note that many countries are now looking at similar models.

13:56And I think it's about the effort that you apply and the effort that collectively is applied

14:03to see a change in the normative behaviour of what we understand as social media and how it might affect

14:09our kids. Indeed, it's certainly been closely watched. Ambassador Campbell, thank you so much for

14:13coming in to us here on Europe Today. Thanks, mate.

14:15And now to Budapest, where Hungary's new government, led by Peter Maillard, has been officially sworn in for the

14:21next four years. The new prime minister promises to restore public trust and rebuild Hungary's

14:26international ties. For the latest, we can head straight to the Hungarian capital and bring in

14:31our correspondent, Joltan Ziboshegi. Good morning, Joltan. Just tell us who is who in this new government

14:37and what are their first priorities? Good morning, Europe Today. So actually, this new government is

14:44really diverse. Peter Maillard promised during the campaign that nobody can be a minister who was

14:51a chief politician in the last government. But actually, this promise was not fully kept because,

14:59for example, the new transport minister previously was the public transportation company's leader

15:04here in Budapest and also a far relative of Viktor Orban. While the difference minister served as

15:10chief of staff during the previous political era, the finance minister had also a word as a state of

15:17secretary in Viktor Orban's second government. But now he promises to introduce the euro around

15:242030. Most members of the new cabinet have been close allies for Peter Maillard since two years

15:31from the really beginning of his movement, and most of them they are conservative. One notable exception

15:37is Balint Roof, the minister leading the prime minister's office, who was a really big critic

15:44of the Orban government and a really popular podcaster. He promised the biggest investigation in

15:53Hungary and history against the corruption cases. The government also includes internationally respected

16:01businessmen. The new interior minister, for example, is a former leader of the Katalon and also

16:06the economic minister was a top manager for Shell. Peter Maillard has also a small scandal because

16:14he appointed his brother-in-law as a minister of justice, but after seeing the public rage,

16:21he changed his mind. So the technocrat government now tries to rebuild all the international ties,

16:26same as the schools and hospitals. And first and foremost, the most important, they tried to take

16:32home the 10 billion euros EU found what was frozen. And according to our sources, it's not going to be

16:39easy. We hope that all the ministers will work with that passion, how our health minister was performing

16:46his iconic dance, what was viral on the whole internet.

16:50Absolutely. That dance was something else. Joltan Siboshegi, thank you so much for that live update

16:55there from Budapest. Now moving on, EU ambassadors will be getting together today for the very first

17:01time to come up with a joint plan for containing the spread of the deadly hantavirus. For an expert

17:07opinion, we can bring in now Professor Luke O'Neill from Trinity College in Dublin. Good morning,

17:13Luke O'Neill. Normally, I tell my guests, lovely to have you with us. But in this case,

17:17when I see you, it's normally for bad news. But just tell us, we're hearing the World Health

17:21Organization says there's no risk to the general population and the hantavirus is not like COVID-19.

17:27What is your view here? That's exactly correct. Yeah, it's not like COVID at all. It's a different

17:32virus, different disease course. Very rare, this disease, the hantavirus causes overall, extremely

17:38rare. You know, unfortunately, of course, this outbreak on that cruise ship has happened and we need

17:42a bit of caution because it's got a high mortality is one worry. 40% of people might die of

17:48this,

17:48but it's extremely rare. So there's nothing to worry about at the moment, as long as we contain

17:52it properly, of course, is the key thing. As long as we can contain it properly. But people are

17:55alarmed because the headlines are alarming, bringing us back to those days of COVID. What would your

18:00advice to people be? Don't worry. Don't worry at all at the moment. I mean, let's just keep an eye

18:06on

18:06it. And all the great and the good, the CDC and the US, of course, in Europe as well, our

18:11agencies

18:11are keeping a very close eye on this. I mean, clearly, it's a bit scary, given the level of

18:16mortality that we've seen reported. People have died of this virus. It was extremely rare. Remember,

18:21in Argentina, about 100 cases per year out of a population of about 40 million. That's how rare

18:27it is as a disease, you know. But again, it's something to watch. Our initial fear was the virus

18:31might have changed. It might have been worse. That's not the case. It's the Andes strain of

18:36Panta. And it's been seen for years and years. So we know a fair bit about this.

18:40We do. And of course, more cases are expected after the long isolation periods. And EU ambassadors

18:45will be gathering today here in Brussels for the very first time to discuss this. But of course,

18:49as you say, it's not an emergency. But what would your advice be to those politicians in the room today?

18:56Well, one good thing is, it is a real disease in South America. So we may learn more about

19:00it anyway from this incident. That might help the situation in South America, where it's more

19:04common. And the second thing is, of course, we need to be a little bit cautious. You can understand

19:08why they're meeting, because it's all over the media. European citizens are concerned, of course.

19:13So anything we can do to reassure people is the most important thing, I feel. And at the moment,

19:17you're right. The funny thing about this virus is it can incubate in the body for 40 days.

19:21In other words, you can catch it. No symptoms for a week or two. Hence the 42-day quarantine.

19:26There's two Irish people, many nationalities, stuck in quarantine for the next few weeks,

19:30just in case the disease emerges. And that makes perfect sense to keep an eye on these people.

19:35OK, Professor Luke O'Neill, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expert opinion

19:38with us here on Europe Today on Euronews. And thank you so much for tuning in, as always,

19:44for more news on the hantavirus or any of the stories we're covering for you here. Take a look at

19:48euronews.com. And you can reach out to us, of course, drop us a line. Europe Today at

19:54euronews.com. That is our email address. We love hearing from you. Take care, though,

19:58and see you soon here on Euronews.

20:29Euronews.com.

20:40Euronews.com.

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20:56Euronews.com.

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