Switzerland lifts economic sanctions on Syria


FILE PHOTO: A Swiss flag hangs at the Swiss Parliament building (Bundeshaus) in Bern, Switzerland, March 12, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File photo

ZURICH (Reuters) -Switzerland said on Friday it will lift a raft of economic sanctions imposed on Syria, including the Middle Eastern country's central bank.

After the toppling of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, targeted sanctions against individuals and entities linked to the former government will still remain in place, Switzerland's governing Federal Council said.

"The aim of this decision is to promote the country's economic recovery and an inclusive and peaceful political transition," the council said in a statement.

After an initial easing of sanctions in March, Switzerland is now lifting restrictions on the provision of certain financial services, trade in precious metals and the export of luxury goods, the government said.

Some 24 entities including the central bank of Syria have also been removed from the sanctions list, it added.

The announcement follows the EU's decision to lift its economic sanctions on Syria at the end of May after a similar move by the U.S. Treasury Department in the same month.

(Reporting by Marleen KaesebierEditing by Dave Graham)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Pope Leo puts focus on prisoners in first papal visit to a Spanish jail
Ukraine strikes Mariupol port, 'significantly limiting' its use
Cuba's revolutionary generation pushed to breaking point by US blockade
India's Modi, Trump likely to meet at G7, discuss trade, visas, source says
Anti-immigrant violence erupts across Belfast after knife attack
Fear of Ukrainian drones empties the guesthouses in Latvia's Land of Blue Lakes
12 killed, nine wounded in mass shooting in Johannesburg
US Congress approves billions for Trump's immigration crackdown
Pumice clogs island shores after Papua New Guinea eruption, stoking fears of food shortage
Iran targets US bases in region in response to US strikes on southern Iran

Others Also Read