ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - United Nations rights chief Volker Turk on Wednesday called for an "urgent" Syria sanctions relief after meeting the country’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa, his first visit to the war-ravaged country.
"I... call for an urgent reconsideration of... sanctions with a view to lifting them,” Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at a press conference in Damascus, calling on the international community "to bear in mind the impact that sanctions have on the lives of the Syrian people”.
Turk’s visit to Damascus comes a little over a month after a lightning offensive spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
The new administration in Damascus has repeatedly called on the international community, notably the US, to lift sanctions on the country to allow millions of Syrians to return home, and for the country's economy to recover.
The US Treasury Department said last week it would ponder lifting some of the sanctions on essential services such as energy and sanitation.
The key sanctions include; infrastructure investments, arms and military equipment, travel, and financial flows for individuals associated with the previous Syrian government.
Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, said on Friday that the EU could begin lifting sanctions if Syria's new rulers took steps to form an inclusive government that protected minorities, adding the EU foreign ministers will discuss the matter at hand on January 27.
Possible priorities for relief include "those sanctions that are hindering the building up of a country, access to banking services and all these things", Kallas told reporters in Riyadh, adding if they “see the developments going in the right direction, we are ready to do the next steps.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters in Riyadh that Berlin would provide another 50 million euros "for food, emergency shelter, and medical care."
Turk, the UN rights chief, also said that “transitional justice is crucial as Syria moves forward.”
"Revenge and vengeance are never the answer,” he said.
The new administration in Damascus has on several occasions, reassured Syrians and the international community that they will respect the rights of minorities in rebuilding Syria.
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