Canada Lifts Sanctions on Syria, Following US
-Toronto: Canada on Friday removed Syria from its list of countries supporting terrorism and revoked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) designation as a “terrorist entity,” joining a list of countries that have eased sanctions on Damascus.
These moves come after HTS ousted former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and took control of the government last December.
“These decisions were not taken lightly,” Canada’s foreign ministry said in a statement. he said.
The statement said the steps taken “are in line with recent decisions taken by our allies, including the UK and the US, and follow the efforts of the Syrian transitional government to advance Syria’s stability.”
Canada listed Syria as a “state sponsor of terrorism” in 2012 because Assad’s crushing of pro-democracy protests plunged the country into civil war.
HTS had been widely sanctioned for its links to al-Qaeda, but some Western states delisted the group to ensure better cooperation with the new Syrian government and its leader, former jihadist Ahmed al-Shara.
Since coming to power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break with their violent past and present a more moderate image to ordinary Syrians and foreign powers.
Canada continues to impose sanctions on 56 Syrian individuals, including former officials of the deposed Assad regime and members of the Assad family, the foreign ministry said.
