عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

German Defense Minister Cancels Iraq Trip over Protests

Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)
Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)
TT
TT

German Defense Minister Cancels Iraq Trip over Protests

Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)
Protesters wave national flags during a protest outside the to the fortified Green Zone where the Danish embassy is, located in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 22, 2023, following reports of the burning of a holy Quran carried out by a ultranationalist group in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen. (AP)

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has cancelled a planned trip to Iraq and Jordan, a ministry spokesperson said on Sunday, citing security concerns after the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad was set alight last week in a protest over burnings of the holy Quran.

On Saturday, several thousand Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad over the recent burning or damaging of the Quran during anti-Islam protests in Sweden and Denmark.

The cancellation of Pistorius' trip, which was supposed to last for several days, was also in response to violent protests against a Danish non-governmental organization in Iraq, the spokesperson said.

This, along with the risk of further protests in coming days, prompted German security forces to advise on cancelling the trip, the spokesperson said, adding it would take place at a later date, possibly during the fourth quarter of the year.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

EU’s Kallas Says She Hopes for Political Agreement on Easing Syria Sanctions

In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
TT
TT

EU’s Kallas Says She Hopes for Political Agreement on Easing Syria Sanctions

In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on January 12, 2025, a vendor waits for customers at her mobile shop in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital. (AFP)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday she hopes a political agreement on easing Syria sanctions can be reached at a gathering of European ministers next week.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Syria during a meeting in Brussels on Jan. 27.

European officials began rethinking their approach towards Syria after Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which the United Nations designates as a terrorist group.

Some European capitals want to move quickly to suspend economic sanctions in a signal of support for the transition in Damascus. Others have sought to ensure that even if some sanctions are eased, Brussels retains leverage in its relationship with the new Syrian authorities.

“We are ready to do step-for-step approach and also to discuss what is the fallback position,” Kallas told Reuters in an interview.

“If we see that the developments are going in the wrong direction, then we are also willing to put them back,” she added.

Six EU member states called this month for the bloc to temporarily suspend sanctions on Syria in areas such as transport, energy and banking.

Current EU sanctions include a ban on Syrian oil imports and a freeze on any Syrian central bank assets in Europe.