German Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The new German government will continue its work for Syria and provide more support to it

Tobias Konkel, the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Office at the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the new German government will continue its “work for Syria and provide more support to it, as the success and stability of the situation in this country align with Germany’s interests.”

Konkel was quoted by the German website Deutsche Welle today, saying during a seminar in Berlin on Syria’s reconstruction: “The sanctions imposed on Syria hinder the reconstruction process, but this is a very complex issue because the European Union has also imposed them on certain individuals, and no one wants to give Assad and his supporters access again to the frozen funds in European banks.”

Konkel emphasized that the international community must provide support to Syria so that the Syrian people can shape the transition process on their own, without external interference.

For his part, the head of the international Caritas organization, Oliver Müller, said during the seminar: “The sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union on Syria are still in place as they were before in many areas. Even small Syrian companies face difficulties in obtaining parts and production units because they are listed on the sanctions list.

He added “as a humanitarian organization, we face sanctions especially in financial transfers, which are a complicated, costly process and take an extremely long time.”

Müller pointed out “German banks refuse transfers to Syria out of fear of these sanctions, which hinders the ability to provide assistance to the Syrian people who are suffering because of them.”

He called on the German government to provide more contributions and financial support to improve the situation in Syria, so that many Syrian refugees and investors can return to Syria to help with the reconstruction efforts.

Rawaa Ghanam

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