The fact that von der Leyen chose to make one of her first trips after the renewal of her term to Ankara is indicative of the importance Turkey currently holds for Europe.

Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that especially in the matter of migration, Turkey plays a pivotal role and announced that in addition to the 10 billion euros that Ankara has received since 2011, following the start of the Syrian civil war, another billion would be added. This billion euros will be transferred to the Turkish treasury immediately and concerns only the year 2024.

It is clear from everything that the President of the European Commission mentioned in her brief statement that the Union has already planned another significant financial support package for Ankara, so that it can continue to welcome and host refugees from the war-torn region of Syria.

Regarding the developments in Syria, von der Leyen emphasized that despite the sanctions that remain in place regarding the jihadists of HTS, the Union has already approved financial support of 160 million euros, as well as humanitarian aid, which is expected to arrive in Damascus soon.

The President of the European Commission stressed that the lifting of sanctions against Syria and HTS will only occur if there are actions and developments that would justify it, but emphasized that the Union will now be officially present diplomatically in Damascus to closely monitor the developments.

In Ankara today with President @RTErdogan.

Europe continues its engagement with regional leaders on Syria.

We will do our part to support the country at this critical juncture ↓ https://t.co/JdjCWwoPcz

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 17, 2024