Frank Hartmann, Germany’s Ambassador in Cairo, announced the cancellation of a June 20 conference between the EU and the Arab League due to the proposed attendance of Faisal Mekdad, the foreign minister of the Assad regime.
Ambassador Hartmann stated, “While we respect the League’s decision to restore the Assad regime, we still do not see a basis for normalizing relations.” He further clarified that the Assad regime has not implemented any changes or reforms to improve the situation within Syria, facilitate the return of refugees, combat smuggling and drug trafficking, or show progress in terms of UN Resolution 2254.
Prior to this, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger commented on Assad’s potential return to the Arab League, emphasizing that it should only occur if the Syrian regime makes significant concessions to achieve a sustainable solution to the conflict and improve the living conditions of the Syrian people.
Germany has made it explicitly clear that it will not restore relations with the Assad regime until it stops obstructing the political process and disregarding the UN Resolution aimed at achieving a peaceful political resolution to the 12-year-old conflict.
