00:02Minister, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews. You are in Brussels as you continue
00:06your bilateral relations with the European Union. How would you define this relationship?
00:12The relationship between the EU and Syria is a long-standing one. It is not a recent
00:17development. Throughout the Syrian revolution and the 14 years of war, the European Union
00:22has stood by the Syrian people in their demand for freedom and liberation from the dictatorial
00:28Baathist regime. Certainly, today we want to strengthen this relationship and move it beyond
00:34how it was previously viewed. We want to transform it from a crisis-driven and humanitarian relationship
00:40into an economic one and also to activate this partnership so that it becomes a very important
00:46partnership in the region, linking the Middle East with the European Union.
00:51And of course, you talk about a European Union that has helped you throughout history and been with you
00:55in a relationship at multiple different phases. Of course, the civil war had a major negative impact
01:00in the relationship. What we see now is the EU says they want to accompany you in this transition.
01:07They have removed a lot of the sanctions. They talk about economic partnership, but they also see they
01:12want to see Syria taking steps that ensure minorities are protected. They have also said that they want to see
01:18social changes apply and that they also want to see Syria becoming a partner in a region where, let's say,
01:27there's what the EU would consider malign actors such as Russia. Are these steps and faces where you believe
01:34you can have a working relationship with the European Union, starting with the treatment of minorities?
01:40The European Union's stance was the same as that of other countries. There was a political inability to assist
01:46the Syrian people at the political level and bring about regime change. The Syrian people managed to
01:52liberate themselves through their own efforts and with Syria's very limited resources. And today, the Syrian people
01:59are looking for partners. They are not looking for excuses, nor they are looking to be put in the dock.
02:04Anyone wishing to support Syria must move from words to deeds. And anyone wishing to build a strong
02:11partnership with Syria, an ambitious emerging nation, must also take practical steps that convince
02:17both the Syrian people and the Syrian government. The Syrian people are shaping their current policy
02:22based on their national interests. They are not shaping it according to the whims of any other country,
02:29nor are we required to be what others want us to be. We want to build partnerships,
02:34partnerships based on shared interests, shared threats, and shared visions.
02:39The goal for Syria remains to enter, or ultimately that would be the final step, to enter an association
02:45agreement with the European Union, correct? That still remains the goal. You say you are a sovereign
02:51country, and of course you are. You say the people of Syria will have to dictate their policies,
02:55and that is entirely correct, as it's the case of any country. When it comes to the association agreement,
03:00however, it is a partnership. And the European Union has been clear, however, on these points,
03:05that in order to work with Syria, which they say they want to, they do want to see some steps,
03:10particularly, as I say, when it comes to treatment of minorities. Is that something,
03:14without being seen as an imposition, that you are taking seriously?
03:19There were many major problems that the European Union was unable to solve, especially since it was the
03:25previous regime that exported these problems. These included immigration, terrorism, the export of
03:30Capitagon, political instability, persecution, murder, disappearances, imprisonment, and the lack of
03:36political relations with neighboring countries and the European Union. All these issues have now
03:42returned to normal, following the fall of that regime. We took office a year and a half ago and we've
03:47made
03:48great achievements. I think today, when the European Union engages in this path, it is fully aware of what
03:54it is doing, fully aware of the importance of Syria and fully aware of the real steps taken by the
04:01Syrian government towards the Syrian people as a whole, not only towards a minority or a majority.
04:06We believe in all Syrian people and we believe in this diversity. We certainly want all Syrian
04:12people to enjoy their full rights based on their freedom and not based on their sect, culture and
04:18religious background. In the Middle East, there's a lot of commotion, of course, because of the war
04:24in Iran. The Strait of Hormuz is still shut. What role is this going to have or knock on effect
04:29on
04:30on a country like yours? And your president has said that Israel has committed at times acts of
04:36brutality, but that there still may be a path to engage so that there's a normalization of ties.
04:43This is something Europeans really pay attention to, the relationship in the Middle East and Israel.
04:48Is that something that you think is still possible to have normalized ties?
04:53With regard to the Iranian-Armenian war, it has certainly affected the whole region,
04:57including Syria. Today Syria has a fragile economy. Now we are in the process of rebuilding the economy
05:03and rebuilding economic partnerships with the region. Any war or conflict in the region of this
05:09magnitude also affects us economically very much. We were able to adopt an approach that would keep
05:16Syria away from conflicts. Here we have emerged from a 14-year war and we want to have stability in
05:23order
05:23to establish the issue of reconstruction, as well as to ensure a safe environment for the stability of Syria,
05:28as well as the return of Syrians. We have an approach of not engaging in this matter. We also supported
05:35diplomatic paths for calm down in the region because this war will affect all countries with regard to the
05:41relationship with Israel. Israel has not calmed down since December 8, 2024, by threatening stability in Syria,
05:49destabilizing and targeting military and civilian infrastructure in Syria under false or unreliable arguments.
05:56We want to have a security agreement with Israel and we also want to have peace, but no normalization.
06:01There is a difference between normalization and peace. Peace is based on the interest of both parties,
06:07respects the security of both parties and protects the sovereignty of both parties. We do not want
06:12there to be normalization under the use of military force or provocation. I have engaged in negotiations
06:18with American mediation. We hope that these negotiations will lead to a calm and comprehensive agreement
06:25that respects sovereignty of Syria. So security framework, yes. Political normalization, no.
06:32There are discussions of a security agreement that will return us to the 1974 agreement and also lead to the
06:39withdrawal of Israel from the territories it occupied after December 8, 2024. This agreement will lead to
06:46political discussions on peace in the region. Thank you so much, sir. Thank you very much.
Comments