Talk of a European aid cut to Syria

The Damascus government is participating today in an annual conference to collect aid pledges for Syria, during which it is likely to see aid cuts due to the humanitarian and security challenges it faces after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The European Union has been hosting the conference in Brussels since 2017, but it has been held without the participation of the Assad government, which was shunned due to its approach during the years of crisis that erupted in 2011.

However, pledges made at this year's Brussels meeting are expected to be lower than in previous years, according to Reuters.

"This is a time of dire needs and challenges for Syria, as tragically demonstrated by the recent wave of violence in the coastal areas," said EU foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas.

But she also said it is "a time of hope," referring to the agreement reached on March 10 between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government.

In this context, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot proposed, in a post on the X platform, "imposing sanctions on those responsible for the atrocities committed against civilians in Syria's Alawite coast."

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Haja Lahbib said today ahead of the conference that the total number of pledges is expected to be lower than in previous years due to the United States' reduction of humanitarian and development aid.

She added: "The EU is committed to supporting the Syrian people and is ready to contribute to Syria's recovery, but we cannot fill the gap left by others."

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said that the violence that erupted this month on the Syrian coast may have affected donor countries' pledges, but other global conflicts and the reduction of US aid are having the greatest impact.

"What's happening inside Syria has an impact, but let's be honest, even without these events, funding would be less than it was in previous years," Pedersen told Reuters today.

T/S

ANHA