EU puts new Syrian foreign minister to sanctions list

BRUSSELS

The European Union added on Friday Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to its sanctions list.

“As a Government Minister, [he] shares responsibility for the Syria regime’s violent repression against the population,” the decision of the European foreign affairs ministers said.

Mekdad was appointed to be Syria’s top diplomat in November 2020.

The EU has imposed sanctions against the Syrian regime since 2011.

The restrictive measures include travel ban and asset freeze for Syrian government officials and prominent business people benefiting from the war economy.

The sanctions also prohibit the import of oil, and apply export restrictions on equipment or technology that could be used for the war.

In total, 289 Syrian individuals and 70 entities are blacklisted by the EU.