Source: European Parliament
The fall of Assad’s criminal regime marks a historic moment for the Syrian people. The European Council of 19 December 2024[1] stressed the historic opportunity to reunite and rebuild the country and underlined the importance of an inclusive and Syrian-led political process that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, in line with the core principles of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 2254.
In this respect, the EU supports the work of the UN Special Envoy for Syria. Syria’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within secure borders should be fully respected, in accordance with international law.
This was also the agreement reached in Aqaba[2] on 14 December 2024 on common principles[3] for the international community’s engagement in support of the Syrian people in this unprecedented transition.
The EU has a strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Türkiye.
In this context, the EU continues to expect Türkiye to respect the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of all Member States, in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea[4] and to unequivocally commit to and promote good neighbourly relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes, having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice.
The European Council conclusions of 12 December 2019[5] clearly stated that the Türkiye-Libya memorandum of understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea[6] infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states, does not comply with the Law of the Sea and cannot produce any legal consequences for third States.
- [1] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/jhlenhaj/euco-conclusions-19122024-en.pdf
- [2] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/press-statement-eu-high-representative-foreign-affairs-and-security-policy-following-international_en
- [3] https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/syria/news/2024/article/joint-statement-on-syria-14-dec-2024
- [4] https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf
- [5] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/41768/12-euco-final-conclusions-en.pdf
- [6] https://www.un.org/depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TREATIES/Turkey_11122019_(HC)_MoU_Libya-Delimitation-areas-Mediterranean.pdf