About: Syrian war
US call for Syria troops divides German coalition
Discord broke out in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition Sunday (7 July), after the United States urged the country to send ground troops to Syria as Washington looks to withdraw from the region.
Iran condemns detention of oil supertanker in Gibraltar
Iran on Thursday (4 July) condemned the "illegal interception" of one of its oil tankers in Gibraltar where authorities said they suspected it was carrying crude to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.
Pompeo to hold talks on Iran in Brussels on way to Russia
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will cancel the Moscow leg of his Russia trip, but will meet President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as planned on Tuesday (14 May), a State Department official said.
Kazakh Minister: Growing interest for next round of Astana talks
The next round of talks under the so-called Astana Process will take place next month, and there is a growing international interest for this forum, First Deputy of the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Return of refugees to Syria timidly comes on the agenda
Key speakers at a Brussels-held conference dedicated to Syria made first timid references on Thursday (14 March) to the need to prepare for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, as the eight-year-long war appeared to be coming to an end.
UNRWA chief: For Syrians and for Palestinians, a horizon needs to be recreated
In an exclusive interview, Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner General of UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, told of the challenges of the international community in the context of the Syrian war and beyond.
Here’s what the Brussels conference can do for Syria’s children
The Brussels III Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the region kicks off today in Brussels. Delphine Moralis explains why education must be top of the agenda.
IS ‘caliphate’ on brink of defeat as Trump urges Europe to take foreign fighters home
US-backed fighters in Syria are poised to capture Islamic State’s last, tiny enclave on the Euphrates, the battle commander said on Saturday (16 February), bringing its self-declared caliphate to the brink of total defeat as US President Donald Trump spoke of “100 percent victory”.
Putin pushes Erdogan to fight Al-Nusra in Syria’s Idlib province
Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday (23 January) after which the Russian leader said the two men had discussed how they planned to stabilize the situation in Syria’s Idlib province.
Azov Sea blaze illustrates that US sanctions work
Two ships ablaze in the Black Sea region, leaving at least 10 crew members dead, caught fire while transferring fuel mid-sea after one vessel was barred from using its usual port in southern Russia due to US sanctions risk, two sources told Reuters.
Trump threatens Turkey with economic devastation if it attacks Syrian Kurd militia
President Donald Trump threatened Turkey with economic devastation if it attacks a US-allied Kurdish militia in Syria, weakening Turkey's currency and prompting sharp criticism from Ankara on Monday (13 January).
Erdogan rebukes Trump’s top security adviser over Kurds in Syria
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rebuked Washington's national security adviser on Tuesday (8 January) for demanding that his country not attack Kurdish fighters in Syria, accusing him of complicating President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw US troops.
Defense Secretary Mattis resigns, Trump ends year in chaos
Trump’s presidency has lurched from crisis to crisis since he took office less than two years ago, but Thursday (20 December) was a landmark day of chaos that appeared to test the resolve of even senior Republican backers in Washington.
Russia’s Chechnya model for Syria will only deepen the conflict
Today, Chechnya is a police state, likely the most brutal anywhere in Europe, that rules through extreme repression. The same future is reserved to Syria, writes Neil Hauer.
US accepts Assad staying in power but won’t give aid
The United States said Monday (17 December) it was no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but renewed warnings it would not fund reconstruction unless the regime is "fundamentally different."
Pentagon warns Turkey against unilateral military action in Syria
The Pentagon said on Wednesday (12 December) that unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party would be "unacceptable," after Turkey said it would launch a new military operation in the region within days to target Kurdish militia fighters.
In solemn Paris ceremony, Macron leads global WW1 Armistice commemorations
French President Emmanuel Macron led tributes to the millions of soldiers killed in World War One on Sunday (11 November), using an emotional ceremony in Paris attended by scores of world leaders to warn against nationalism a century on from the conflict.
Russia, Germany, France and Turkey call for lasting ceasefire, constitutional meeting for Syria
The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey stressed the importance on Saturday (27 October) of a lasting ceasefire in Syria, and said a committee to create a new constitution should meet by the end of the year.
Macron, Trump confer ahead of Istanbul Syria summit with Putin
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone Thursday (25 October) with US counterpart Donald Trump about strategy ahead of a four-way summit on Syria in Istanbul this weekend, the Élysée palace said.
Novaya Gazeta is sent funeral wreath and ram’s head in latest threats
A funeral wreath, a severed ram's head and threatening notes were sent to the Novaya Gazeta's Moscow office this week in what the newspaper said in an editorial statement were the latest threats against its journalists.
Russia completes delivery of S-300 system to Syria
Russia has delivered an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria, it said on Tuesday (2 October), in defiance of Israeli and US concerns that the arms sale would embolden Iran and escalate the Syrian war.
Sakharov Prize nominees include NGOs in the Mediterranean
The nominees for the 2018 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought have been announced on Thursday (27 September), including Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian film director imprisoned in Russia and NGOs saving lives of migrants in the Mediterranean. Since 1988, THE...
EU appeals to ‘Astana guarantors’ to avoid Idlib catastrophe
Commenting on the decision by Russia and Turkey to create a “demilitarised” zone in a rebel-held Syrian region, the EU called on Tuesday (18 September) on the “Astana guarantors”, Russia, Turkey and Iran, to respect civilians as a matter of priority.