Ankara (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU’s Ursula von der Leyen and Erdoğan discussed Syria’s unity, minority safety, and humanitarian aid after Assad’s regime collapse.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sat down with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 17 Dec 2024 in the capital Ankara. Though no declaration was given afterwards, media outlets noted that the two consulted the latest situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. A day earlier, a top EU official was in Jordan where she sat with Jordan’s, King Abdullah.
President @RTErdogan met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who is paying a visit to Türkiye, at the Presidential Complex. pic.twitter.com/54t6q4JE04
— Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (@trpresidency) December 17, 2024
The discussions will concentrate on the national unity of Syria and the safety of minorities von der Leyen earlier reported on the social media platform X. The commission president also intends to discuss humanitarian assistance deliveries with Erdoğan.
I have been discussing the delivery of humanitarian aid with the King of Jordan @KingAbdullahII, the President of the UAE @MohamedBinZayed and will continue the discussions in my meeting with President @RTErdogan on Tuesday.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 13, 2024
The European Union last week announced agendas to send nearly 100 tons of health supplies and other essential commodities to Türkiye for onward allocation to Syria by United Nations aid agencies. The dramatic takeover in Syria has expanded questions in the EU about the future of Syrians aiming refuge in the EU and how to deal with the new administration in Damascus.
The European Union and Türkiye both accommodate large communities of Syrian refugees, with around 1 million having been given international protection in the union and about 3 million Syrian refugees residing in Türkiye. EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas announced that a representative was on his way to Damascus to make a connection with the new Syrian leadership.
Until recently, Brussels declared to have no communication with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was the leading group behind the offensive that led to Assad’s overthrow. HTS is on the U.N. terror index and subject to EU restivitve meaures. Kallas stated time will tell whether this should be adjusted.
