Opening remarks by President António Costa at the meeting with President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa 14:49 European Council President António Costa and President of the European[...]

It is a great pleasure to be with you here in Damascus today. Following up on our meetings in Cairo and New York last year, we come here to send a clear sign of our support for the democratic and inclusive transition, and our clear support to the Syrian people.

After the many years of war and suffering for your people, the fall of the Assad regime opened a new era of hope for your people, and you can count on the European Union to support the efforts towards a peaceful and inclusive Syria.

We are standing by you, supporting the independence, the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Syria. You have taken important steps to rebuild the country, and we are commending you for what you have done over the last months.

We support you, just as we did when we eased the sanctions against the country. We encourage you to continue in the same direction, to go further and faster.

And it's also important for you to keep good relations with your neighbours. We are very encouraged by the recent talks in Paris with Israel. We are also very encouraged about what we heard in Jordan about the relationship with Syria.

We are aware of the very difficult challenges that you need to face. We encourage you to pursue on the path towards inclusivity and to implement the 10th March agreement and the roadmap of Sweida. But we are here with confidence and trust to work with you together and to open this door of a new partnership between the European Union and Syria.

Thank you.