EU to lift economic sanctions on Syria to aid recovery of war-torn country

People line up outside a bank to exchange dollars for Syrian pounds in the capital Damascus. The EU has eased restrictions on four banks. Photograph: Mohammed Al Rifai/EPA

The EU has agreed to lift economic sanctions on Syria in an effort to help the war-torn country recover after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

After the decision by EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, the EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, wrote on X: “We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria.”