European Diplomacy and the Syrian Crisis

The EU Foreign Ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss the Syrian conflict.

Corina Cristea, 13.10.2015, 13:53

The EU Foreign Ministers on Monday
called on Russia to immediately stop bombing the moderate Syrian opposition,
saying it’s not possible to achieve sustainable peace as long as Syrian
president Bashar al-Assad is still in office. Moscow does not share this view,
and for the last few days Russian fighters have been bombing positions
allegedly held by Islamic State terrorists. The military escalation in the
region has put the Syrian conflict in the limelight of global politics.

In
Luxembourg, the EU foreign ministers
stressed the urgency of
preventing the creation of a power void in Syria, similar to the one in Libya.
EU officials say the political transition in Syria must observe the principle
of sovereignty and territorial integrity, with all religious minorities,
whether Sunni, Shiite or Christian, co-existing peacefully. The Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean
Asselborn, whose country is currently holding
the rotating presidency of the EU, warned that unless the United States
and Russia reached an agreement on Syria, no solution was foreseeable. Jean
Asselborn said the EU must try and bring Russia into the international
organization combating the Islamic State, based on the resolution of the UN
Security Council. The Luxembourg official said communication with Russia must
not be cut off. Russia is helping Assad play the final political transition card
in Syria, the official also said.

The Assad regime bears
the greatest responsibility for the death of the 250,000 people who lost their
lives in the conflict so far, as well as for the millions of people who have
fled the country, reads the document adopted by Foreign Ministers in
Luxembourg. Attending the meeting, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu
said Russia’s actions in Syria had contributed to the radicalization of
terrorism in the region and should not divert the EU’s attention from Ukraine.
Romania is ready to take an active role in facilitating dialogue between the EU
and Syria, through its embassy in Damascus, Bogdan Aurescu also said. The
Romanian official also pointed out that Romania supported the activity and the
action plan of the UN Special Envoy for
Syria Staffan de Mistura, aimed at solving the Syrian conflict.