Her moves threaten to weaken the union's position

Small European countries are considering resuming relations with Syria

• A few weeks after President Assad's re-election, several small European countries are trying to improve their relationship with Syria.

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• Idlib is the only opposition-held area in northwest Syria where the conflict has not abated.

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A few weeks after the re-election of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, several small European countries are trying to improve their relationship with the Syrian government, and Cyprus has moved to a new embassy in Damascus, while Serbia has sent its ambassador to the Syrian capital.

These are just small steps, and not important changes. However, the member states of the European Union, especially large ones, such as France and Germany, will not likely change their positions in the near future, but these steps, although hesitant, illustrate the extent of the challenges that the union will face. Europe, at a time when the situation in Syria is returning to its normal state.

"The moves by these small states are weakening the EU's position, and the Syrian government knows how to take advantage of that," said Laurie Foucher, senior analyst at Crisis Group focused on Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

accusations

About half a million people were killed during the conflict, which lasted nearly a decade, during which various types of weapons were used by the belligerents, and the European Union's policy is not to send ambassadors to Syria, whose government faces accusations of human rights violations.

Given that the Syrian government now controls 70% of Syria's territory, which is suffering great destruction as a result of the civil war, small European countries want to open direct channels with the Damascus government, for pragmatic reasons.

Greece sent a new Chargé d'Affairs to Damascus last year, Nicholas Protonotarios, who said: "Greece is interested in being present in a country where developments affect our daily interests, such as the migration crisis, for example."

return of refugees

With about 3.6 million Syrians in Turkey, we find it not surprising that “we find Greece wants to provide assistance for the reconstruction efforts in Syria, so that the Syrians residing in Turkey and Greece can return to their country, according to what one of the diplomats said, and it seems that it is not Only Greece wants that. Last April, Denmark announced that Damascus and the towns around it were safe, for Syrian refugees to return to.

Russia, which supports the Syrian government, has tried to convince the countries of the world that Syria is safe, and although the fighting has eased a lot, the conflict still exists in northwest Syria, which is controlled by religious extremist organizations.

Several foreign intelligence services are accused of "obtaining information from Syrian intelligence about thousands of terrorists," according to what the United Nations said last year.

Some Arab countries were convinced to restore relations with Syria, although there is still a refusal to return them to the Arab League, because some of these countries believe that Damascus refuses to engage in a meaningful political process.

shrinking ambitions

Without a political settlement, the European Union, which has provided billions of dollars in aid to the Syrian people, refuses to participate in paying billions of dollars for the reconstruction of Syria. The Syrian analyst and economist Karam Shaar said: “Germany and France are very interested in the long-term settlement of the conflict in Syria. Because the failure to reach a political settlement is considered a complete failure.

The ambitions of the UN-led political process have been reduced to simply bringing the Syrian government and opposition groups together to draft a new constitution, yet it has yielded no results.

For these reasons, the moves towards rapprochement with Syria are being undertaken by the countries bordering Syria, which want to open direct channels with Damascus, according to what one of the European diplomats said.

However, such moves portend divisions

Although the European Union refuses to fund the reconstruction of Syria, many countries finance projects that can be in the interest of the Syrian people, such as the rehabilitation of schools. “The European Union’s political position can continue for a long time, and the question now is,” said Foucher. : What is happening on the ground?

There is now a gap between the position of the European Union and what is happening on the ground with regard to aid.”

At the end of the day, many diplomats in southern European countries complain that their northern counterparts do not understand their desire to find good relations with their Mediterranean surroundings, and this is about participation, not support,” one EU diplomat said.

Chilo Cornish ■ British journalist with an interest in the Middle East

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With about 3.6 million Syrians in Turkey, it is not surprising to find that Greece wants to provide assistance for Syria's reconstruction efforts, so that Syrians residing in Turkey and Greece can return to their country, according to a diplomat.

• The ambitions of the UN-led political process have been reduced to simply bringing the Syrian government and opposition groups together to draft a new constitution, yet it has not produced results.

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