EU and Syrian Civil Society Hold Open Talks in Damascus
DAMASCUS — For the first time since the 54-year rule of the Assad family collapsed nearly a year ago, Syrians met openly in Damascus on Saturday with officials from the European Union and representatives of the country's transitional authorities. The event, part of the EU initiative known as "The Day of Dialogue," was organized in cooperation with Syrian civil society and marks a departure from earlier conferences that were held in Brussels and often boycotted by the former regime.
Opening the sessions at a conference center on the southern outskirts of the city, Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said:
“The meeting that used to be held to talk about Syria is now being held in Syria.”
Al-Shibani described the event as a step toward partnership between the state and civil society and with international partners.
Michael Ohnmacht, chargé d'affaires at the EU delegation to Syria, said roughly 500 participants from the country’s various religious and ethnic communities attended and called the turnout a hopeful sign.
“This is what we hope for Syria’s future — an inclusive state that represents all its citizens,”
he said.
Despite the change in leadership after a swift offensive by insurgent groups last December, Syria remains deeply fractured. Sectarian violence in the coastal region in March and deadly clashes in the southern province of Sweida in July between pro-government gunmen and members of the Druze and Alawite communities left hundreds dead, underscoring persistent instability amid a 14-year conflict that has cost roughly half a million lives.
Social Affairs Minister Hind Kabawat told attendees that rebuilding will require partnership and mutual respect between the state and civil society.
“Today’s dialogue is the beginning of change, and rebuilding Syria only happens through partnership based on respect between the state and civil society,”
she said.
Sessions addressed difficult and deeply personal issues, including transitional justice and the fate of thousands who remain missing. Delegates pressed for answers about more than 130,000 people reported missing under the previous regime. An ethnic Kurdish participant recounted decades of state discrimination, and others described violence and persecution faced by women from minority sects.
Mazen Darwish, a Syrian lawyer and prominent activist who was repeatedly jailed before going into exile, cautioned that the end of Assad family rule does not guarantee an easy path ahead. He urged Syrians to seize the current opportunity for change.
“Today we have an opportunity in Syria and we have to take advantage of it,”
the activist said.
The EU-led dialogues in Damascus are being watched closely by Syrians and international observers as an early test of whether inclusive, locally rooted political processes can help address sectarian tensions, deliver accountability for past abuses and steer the country toward reconstruction and reconciliation.
