NICOSIA: President Ahmad Al-Sharaa said on Friday that the Syrian Arab Republic is positioned to become a secure strategic corridor linking Central Asia and the Gulf with Europe, as he presented a regional connectivity vision during an informal meeting of the EU and regional partners in Nicosia.
Speaking at a press conference after the summit, Al-Sharaa said the gathering marked a moment of political and strategic maturity reflecting a new geopolitical reality that goes beyond traditional frameworks of cooperation.
He said security in Europe and stability in the region are closely interconnected, requiring a spirit of partnership and shared responsibility among Mediterranean and regional states.
FASTFACT
President Ahmad Al-Sharaa stressed that an Arab-European Mediterranean partnership has become an essential path for sustaining energy flows and safeguarding global supplies.
Al-Sharaa said current challenges, including disruption to global trade routes and risks stemming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, demand the development of new regional strategies capable of protecting supply chains and ensuring economic resilience.
He added that Europe needs Syria as much as Syria needs Europe, stressing that an Arab-European Mediterranean partnership has become an essential path for sustaining energy flows and safeguarding global supplies.
The president called on the international community to assume its responsibilities regarding continued Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty, including ground incursions, airstrikes and repeated breaches affecting Syrian territory and airspace.
He said such actions violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and international law, warning that they undermined Syria’s recovery, reconstruction efforts and broader regional stability.
Al-Sharaa said protecting the new partnership path launched in Nicosia required firm action to compel Israel to halt its attacks immediately.
In that context, he said Syria is placing before its Mediterranean and Gulf partners the Four Seas Initiative and Nine Corridors Initiative, aimed at making the country a safe alternative artery connecting Central Asia and the Gulf to the heart of Europe.
Al-Sharaa said Friday’s meeting was paving the way for a broader milestone in Brussels on May 11, when Syria and the EU are expected to launch a high-level political dialogue.
The Syrian president took part in the meeting at the Filoxenia Conference Center in Nicosia at the invitation of Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and European Council President Antonio Costa.
