Europe Today: Syrian FM speaks exclusively to Euronews after landmark EU-Syria talks

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Europe Today: Syrian FM speaks exclusively to Euronews after landmark EU-Syria talks  Our Europe Editor Maria Tadeo speaks exclusively to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani following this week’s landmark EU-Syria talks, which saw the agreement from both sides to fully restore trade and diplomatic ties.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/05/13/europe-today-syrian-fm-speaks-exclusively-to-euronews-after-landmark-eu-syria-talks  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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

00:20your daily digest of European news and context live here on Euronews.

00:25Coming up in headlines that bring back memories of the global Covid pandemic, Spain has confirmed

00:31a positive hand-to-virus 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 no

00:42signs of a new pandemic. This as Hungary swears in a brand new government under freshly elected

00:48Prime Minister Peter Maillard. The move brings an end to the 16 years of Viktor Orban's rule.

00:54We'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,

01:09clearing land for a settlement-linked road project. Just this week, the EU signed off

01:14on sanctions against Israeli settlers over violence in the occupied West Bank.

01:18But first, Syria is in the spotlight this week with Damascus holding high-level political

01:24talks with the European Union here in Brussels. In an exclusive sit-down with Euronews, Syria's

01:30foreign minister said the country will not allow a, quote, rushed, unorganised return of Syrian

01:35citizens from Europe. Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani called on the European Union to support the

01:41reconstruction of his country after the brutal civil war. Our European editor, Maria Tlao, sat down with the

01:47minister and is here on set this morning to bring us up to speed. First, tell us about these talks

01:52in Brussels.

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

01:59in a political transition, is coming off of two very difficult decades, completely turbulent on a

02:06political front, a civil war that lasted almost 14 years. Very brutal. Obviously, that also led to a

02:12massive wave of Syrians who left the country, many of which, of course, ended up in Europe. The

02:20authorities now in Syria, led by President al-Sharab, they argue that this is a moment to rebuild,

02:28reconstruct, and make this country more stable. They have, of course, reached out to the United

02:33States. They are in close ties with Turkey, the Gulf countries. But another key partner in this,

02:38and they say this openly, this came up multiple times in my interview with the foreign minister,

02:43is the European Union. At this stage, as it stands, the European Union has lifted sanctions

02:48on Syria to give the economy a breather. It also is now moving into the full implementation of a

02:54cooperation agreement between the two countries. Obviously, the goal, again, is for the EU to play

02:59what they argue would be a stabilizer role in the country. And for Syria, it's about rebuilding the

03:05economy. So we have conditions for people to return and get this country back on track to the

03:10extent that it's possible in the shortest amount of time. Now, the EU, however, will say to fully

03:15restore ties with Syria. The authorities, the government there needs to ensure that the minorities,

03:21both religious and ethnic, are respected and they have equal rights. This principle of inclusivity is

03:26incredibly important for Brussels. So the message that was stressed to the Syrians, as I'm told by a

03:31number of 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 counter

03:42what they describe our malign actors, including Russia, of course, Assad fled to Moscow immediately after

03:48his fall. But they also insist this principle of inclusivity is incredibly important for the European Union to

03:54move ahead. And the issue, of course, of migration played a big role as well in these. Well, this is

03:58this is absolutely a huge

03:59topic as it stands, because not just when you look at it through the prism of the EU, but really,

04:04European

04:05governments, we are seeing that the political landscape in Europe is changing. Obviously, the discourse around

04:11migration, asylum rules, and refugee status, which are three different things, to some extent, is certainly much

04:18tougher, has really hardened. Germany, which is a country that took in the highest number of Syrians, has now

04:23completely changed its narrative from we will manage dealing with almost one million people who arrived in

04:29Germany, to now the Chancellor saying we need to accelerate the returns because the war is over and they need

04:35to

04:35rebuild this country. That was a question that I put to Syria's Foreign Minister Al-Shabani. And he told me,

04:40yes, they agree,

04:41there is a need to rebuild the country, but it will not be chaotic. Syria has not committed to a

04:46specific number of

04:48people returning to the country. Let's take a look. There was no agreement on this matter, and there was no

04:55agreement on the number of Syrians to return to Syria. There has been talks about Syrian refugees in Europe and

05:01in

05:01Germany in particular, and there are talks and an agreement on a mechanism that will not hinder the process of

05:07reconstruction in Syria today. This is another thing I do not agree with, especially since today European countries no longer

05:13accept granting asylum to those who leave Syria, especially since today they believe that the situation

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

05:25involuntary and undignified return of Syrians will lead to chaos in Syria, and that the situation in Syria needs to

05:32create an appropriate environment.

05:33There will be a monasim.

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

05:42in Brussels

05:43with the bloc's top diplomat, Kaia Kalas, expressing frustration over the lack of progress in boosting arms

05:49production here in the EU. A big focus of the talks was also on how Ukraine should use a slice

05:55of the

05:55€90 billion loan for defence acquisitions. Our EU correspondent, Angela Skugins, asked Estonia's

06:02defence minister, that's Hanno Pevkor, how confident he was, though, that these EU funds won't be misused.

06:08This is in light, of course, of the corruption scandal engulfing Selensky's former chief of staff, Andrew Yermak.

06:14Well, we need to have the accountability in place, so there is no question. I believe it is definitely something

06:22Ukrainians are looking into very, like, seriously, because it's also important for them that there are no, like, rumours or

06:31no

06:32problems involved with that kind of assistance, because at the end of the day, they need to get the support

06:38up and running

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

06:45over, and then Ukrainians still need

06:47our assistance, our help, so to rebuild Ukraine and to help them to be a normal European country. So this

06:54is why it is first and foremost

06:56for the Ukrainians to show for their own people and for us that everything is in a good shape.

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

07:10President Zelensky and NATO's eastern flank countries. But now moving on, EU institutions are getting ready for a long bank

07:18holiday weekend here in Belgium.

07:20But it won't be relaxing, given nerves are high over President Donald Trump's big trip to China tonight.

07:26With Brussels often caught up in the middle of the two great superpowers, this trip will be closely watched.

07:32Our Jakob Janus tells us why you should watch it too.

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

07:41China, China, China, China, China.

07:44Yeah, I think you got it.

07:46Meeting Xi Jinping to discuss Iran, nuclear weapons, trade and AI.

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

07:53Because let me tell you, you don't have the cards.

07:56And between the increasingly unpopular Iran war at home and domestic courts striking down his tariffs,

08:02Trump needs a win.

08:04So your reporters started to wonder, what could this mean for Europe?

08:09Alright, first, the security bargain.

08:12Xi Jinping wants a signal that Washington is stepping back from Taiwan.

08:16And if Trump treats the island's security as a bargaining chip to secure China's help in ending the war in

08:22Iran,

08:23he might hollow out Europe's own strategic commitments in the Indo-Pacific.

08:28And Trump is also under pressure to relax chip exports' controls for quick business deals.

08:33And if he treats away this edge, Washington and Beijing will set the global standards for AI alone,

08:40with Europe becoming just a rule-taker, not maker.

08:43And finally, there is the tried squeeze.

08:46European 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 European exporters losing their

08:59competitive advantage in the US

09:01to the same Chinese rivals that are already flooding European shores.

09:06And speaking of trade, let's not forget Trump has given the EU a deadline until the 4th of July

09:11to finalize a new US-EU trade deal or face 25% tariffs on cars.

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

09:24towards Europe next.

09:26However, socialists are standing firm, insisting that European legislation will not be shaped by threats on social media.

09:34Huh!

09:35And it's a cliché to say that the Chinese word for crisis, Wei Qi, is translated as a danger and

09:42opportunity.

09:43And while Wei is indeed danger, a better translation for Qi is a crucial point.

09:50And it seems that for Europe that crucial point is 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.

10:09That is Mr Angus Campbell.

10:10Good morning and welcome to Europe Today.

10:12Hi, Maeve.

10:13Thanks very much.

10:13Great.

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

10:19Cook.

10:20What are you looking out for?

10:21Look, it's clearly a very important meeting and it's important for the two countries.

10:26It's important for the world.

10:27A constructive relationship between China and the United States is something that I think we all hope for.

10:34And indeed, there are many issues that if they work together can be of great benefit to our world.

10:40So I wish them success and I'm very pleased and I think that we should all be very pleased that

10:47they are talking and that a summit is occurring.

10:50And it's now up to the dialogue and what outcomes might emerge.

10:56And of course, Australia signed a massive trade deal with Brussels this very year precisely to reduce dependencies on China

11:02for critical raw materials.

11:04Will that work though?

11:05Look, we're delighted with the free trade agreement.

11:08The 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.

11:22But this is a deal that's been negotiated for 10 years, very careful, very sensitive, acknowledging concerns and interests on

11:31both sides.

11:32And I'm confident that we're seeing a balanced deal here, which is comprehensive, which is going to be of benefit

11:39to both sides.

11:40And it brings the two communities closer together.

11:43Australians trading into Europe, Europeans trading into Australia.

11:47Almost all barriers and tariffs removed.

11:50It's a good deal.

11:51It's a good deal.

11:52But will that help you wean off this dependencies on China?

11:54We have a constructive and a very significant trading relationship with China.

11:59And I think that that's going to continue.

12:01But we have a diverse trading relationship across the world.

12:04So Australia trades 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.

12:20And free trade agreements matter because they enable the prosperity for all.

12:27And defence plays a big role as well in this trade deal.

12:29Tell us more.

12:30And do Australians support the fact that you're helping Ukraine?

12:32So 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 defence,

12:51often in areas of hybrid or advanced technology or things that are geographically borderless.

12:58And are Australian taxpayers comfortable with this?

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

13:07on more issues,

13:08because by doing so, we are better prepared in a world that's perhaps less predictable and more complex.

13:15And 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?

13:23How are you enforcing it?

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

13:29A bipartisan parliamentary concern for the wellbeing of our children and indeed the increasing evidence scientifically of that concern.

13:39And a relationship with those social media companies to see their restraint on access until the age of 16 for

13:48young people in Australia.

13:49And 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 to see a

14:04change in the normative behaviour of what we understand as social media and how it might affect our kids.

14:09Indeed, it's certainly been closely watched.

14:11Ambassador Campbell, thank you so much for coming into us here on Europe Today.

14:14Thanks, mate.

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

14:21four years.

14:22The new prime minister promises to restore public trust and rebuild Hungary's international ties.

14:27For the latest, we can head straight to the Hungarian capital and bring in our correspondent, Joltán Ziboshegy.

14:33Good morning, Joltán.

14:34Just tell us who is who in this new government and what are their first priorities?

14:39Good morning, Europe Today.

14:42So actually, this new government is really diverse.

14:45Peter Maillard promised during the campaign that nobody can be a minister who was a chief politician in the last

14:54government.

14:54But actually, this promise was not fully kept because, for example, the new transport minister previously was the public transportation

15:02company's leader here in Budapest and also a far relative of Viktor Orbán,

15:08while the difference minister served as chief of staff during the previous political era.

15:13The finance minister had also worked as a state of secretary in Viktor Orbán's second government, but now he promises

15:21to introduce the euro around 2030.

15:25Most members of the new cabinet have been close allies for Peter Magyar since two years from the really beginning

15:31of his movement, and most of them, they are conservative.

15:34One notable exception is Balint Roof, the minister leading the prime minister's office, who was a really big critic of

15:45the Orbán government and a really popular podcaster.

15:49He promised the biggest investigation in Hungarian history against the corruption cases.

15:55The government also includes internationally respected businessmen.

16:02The new interior minister, for example, is a former leader of Decathlon, and also the economic minister, who was a

16:08top manager for Shell.

16:10Peter Magyar has also a small scandal because he appointed his brother-in-law as a minister of justice, but

16:18after seeing the public rage, he changed his mind.

16:21And so the technocrat government now tries to rebuild all the international ties, same as the schools and hospitals.

16:29And first and foremost, the most important, they tried to take home the 10 billion euros EU found what was

16:35frozen.

16:36And according to our sources, it's not going to be easy.

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

16:48what was viral on the whole internet.

16:50Absolutely. That dance was something else.

16:53Joltan Siboshegi, thank you so much for that live update there from Budapest.

16:57Now moving on, EU ambassadors will be getting together today for the very first time to come up with a

17:02joint plan for containing the spread of the deadly hantavirus.

17:06For an expert opinion, we can bring in now Professor Luke O'Neill from Trinity College in Dublin.

17:12Good morning, Luke O'Neill. Normally, I tell my guests, lovely to have you with us.

17:16But in this case, when I see you, it's normally for bad news.

17:19But just tell us, we're hearing the World Health Organization says there's no risk to the general population and the

17:24hantavirus is not like COVID-19.

17:27What is your view here?

17:29That's exactly correct. Yeah, it's not like COVID at all. It's a different virus, different disease course.

17:34Very rare, this disease, the hantavirus causes overall, extremely rare.

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

17:42Now we need a bit of caution because it's got a high mortality is one worry.

17:4540% people might die of this, but it's extremely rare.

17:49So there's nothing to worry about at the moment, as long as we contain it properly, of course, is the

17:52key thing.

17:53As long as we can contain it properly.

17:54But people are alarmed because the headlines are alarming, bringing us back to those days of COVID.

17:59What would your advice to people be?

18:03Don't worry. Don't worry at all at the moment.

18:05I mean, let's just keep an eye on it and all the great and the good.

18:08The CDC in the US, of course, in Europe as well, our agencies are keeping a very close eye on

18:12this.

18:13I mean, clearly, it's a bit scary given the level of mortality that we've seen reported.

18:17People have died of this virus, but it's extremely rare.

18:20Remember, in Argentina, about 100 cases per year out of a population of about 40 million.

18:26That's how rare it is as a disease, you know.

18:28But again, it's something to watch.

18:29Our initial fear was the virus might have changed.

18:32It might have been worse.

18:33That's not the case.

18:33It's the Andes strain of Hanta.

18:36And it's been seen for years and years.

18:38We know a fair bit about this.

18:39We do.

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

18:43And EU ambassadors will be gathering today here in Brussels for the very first time to discuss this.

18:48But of course, as you say, it's not an emergency.

18:50But what would your advice be to those politicians in the room today?

18:55Well, one good thing is it is a real disease in South America.

18:59So we may learn more about it anyway from this incident that might help the situation in South America where

19:03it's more common.

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

19:07You can understand why they're meeting because it's all over the media.

19:10European citizens are concerned, of course.

19:12So anything we can do to reassure people is the most important thing, I feel.

19:15And at the moment, you're right.

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

19:21In other words, you can catch it.

19:22No symptoms for a week or two.

19:24Hence the 42 day quarantine.

19:25There's two Irish people at many nationalities stuck in quarantine for the next few weeks, just in case the disease

19:31emerges.

19:32And that makes perfect sense to keep an eye on these people.

19:34Okay, Professor Luke O'Neill.

19:36Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expert opinion with us here on Europe Today on Euronews.

19:41And thank you so much for tuning in, as always, for more news on the Hantavirus or any of the

19:46stories we're covering for you here.

19:47Take a look at Euronews.com and you can reach out to us, of course.

19:51Drop us a line, EuropeToday at Euronews.com.

19:54That is our email address.

19:56We love hearing from you.

19:57Take care, though, and see you soon here on Euronews.

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