EU collects over $30 billion for Syria from international donors over 13 years

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that the EU has raised 33 billion euros ($34 billion) from international donors for supporting Syria since 2011 and has already spent it. 

“Since 2011, our international donor conferences have raised 33 billion euros for Syria,” von der Leyen stated at the European Parliament in Strasbourg without specifying how the European Commission has allocated or spent the funds, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

On December 17, von der Leyen stated during a press conference in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the EU had been providing financial aid to those in need in Syria based on a principle of avoiding any contact with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. She did not specify which forces or regions in Syria had received these funds.

Von der Leyen also announced that the ninth donor conference for Syria will take place in Brussels in 2025, where the European Commission will focus on raising funds for development and reconstruction after Assad. 

She emphasised that Brussels aims to become the number one humanitarian player in Syria, working to reduce the influence of Russia and Iran in the country. She outlined that the EU would seek to secure the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Syria under the new regime.

By Naila Huseynova