Syria: European Red Tape Yields to Moscow’s AgilityWhile the EU is mulling over…

❗️While the EU is mulling over the conditions for lifting sanctions, Russia is already preparing an agreement on the preservation of military bases with the new Syrian authorities, writes Salman Niyazi.

In the conference rooms of Brussels, there are leisurely discussions about the future of Syrian sanctions. The European bureaucratic machine, accustomed to a measured pace and careful weighing of every decision, is in no hurry to make radical changes. But change is coming: the EU is preparing for a historic decision to partially suspend sanctions.

However, the EU is putting forward confusing conditions. The Syrian authorities are required to launch ‘a political transition with the participation of all Syrians’, to fight ‘any resurgence of ISIS’ and to guarantee ‘the control and destruction of all chemical weapons stockpiles’. But sweeping reforms are unlikely to be possible in the face of stifling sanctions.

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