EU explores deeper Syria partnership, flags concern over Russia role

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BRUSSELS/DAMASCUS, Nov 11 - The European Union is weighing a broad upgrade in ties with Syria, including security sector reform, investment and a revival of a long-frozen trade…

BRUSSELS/DAMASCUS, Nov 11 - The European Union is weighing a broad upgrade in ties with Syria, including security sector reform, investment and a revival of a long-frozen trade accord, according to an EU document seen by Reuters, as the bloc seeks to draw Damascus closer to Europe and counter lingering Russian influence after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.

The discussion paper, prepared by the bloc's diplomatic service ahead of a November 16 meeting of EU foreign ministers, sketches one of Brussels' most ambitious efforts yet to normalise ties with Syria, less than two years after Assad's fall ended decades of authoritarian rule and reshaped regional alliances.

The EU's diplomatic service said that while Syria's transition is moving forward, "challenges remain high and accelerated progress is needed" on issues such as economic recovery, national reconciliation, and the reintegration of internally displaced people and refugees.

Alongside plans to support security-sector reform, including trilateral cooperation with Jordan on the training of Syrian police recruits, the EU is seeking to step up its engagement with the country to limit "the malign influence of Russian and other foreign actors on Syria", the discussion paper said.

Russia's intervention in Syria's civil war helped keep Assad in power for years and secured Moscow's strategic foothold on the Mediterranean. Since his overthrow, however, the Kremlin has been trying to secure a new deal with the current authorities to preserve access to the Tartous naval facility and Hmeimim air base, assets that underpin its military reach in the region.

The EU document said Moscow's influence had diminished post-Assad but its continued military presence and economic leverage remained a concern.

Syria faces enormous reconstruction needs after nearly 14 years of civil war that devastated infrastructure and crippled the economy.

Among the most striking proposals in the EU document is a plan to revive an association agreement initialled…

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