Brussels, 11/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - Syria and the EU intend to step up their relations, said the Director General of EuropeAid, Koos Richelle, after a visit to Damascus in early February, during which he was invited to address some of the highest-ranking public and private-sector officials of the country. These have always been keen at the prospects of the planned opening up of the Syrian economy under the terms of the association agreement, which was initialled last October but which has not yet been signed. It is unlikely to be so before six weeks to two months, said a Brussels source, adding that this is the time needed to translate the texts approved by the negotiators and do any legal tidying-up.
In his speech, Mr Richelle said that the most important thing after 25 years of cooperation between the EU and Syria was having established trusting relations. The EU has become the main support to the policy of reforms initiated in the country, he said. Mr Richelle hopes that the signing of the agreement will seal the relationship between Brussels and Damascus and “considerably increase opportunities for financial cooperation”. Between 2000 and 2006, Syria has received budgetary aid of 235 million EUR plus 380 million from the EIB.
In Damascus, Mr Richelle chaired the meeting of the heads of the EU delegations in the Mediterranean region.