The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^* and Georgia, as well as Andorra and San Marino, align themselves with this statement.

1. The EU calls for immediate implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions 2720 and 2712. The EU is gravely concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and latest reports by UN agencies alerting that Gaza is in a high risk of famine and that the health system is in a state of collapse. We welcome Israel’s decision to open the Kerem Shalom border crossing point and the role Egypt and other regional partners play in providing and facilitating that humanitarian aid reaches those in need.  We must continue to provide humanitarian assistance to all those in need in Gaza, including through increased capacity at border crossings and through a dedicated maritime route, ensuring that such assistance is not abused by Hamas and other terrorist organisations.

2. Rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access is an obligation under international law and is urgently needed to deliver life-saving aid to avoid a further worsening of an already catastrophic situation. Aid needs to reach those in need through all necessary means, including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs or cessations of hostilities. We welcome the cooperation of regional actors aimed at opening humanitarian access to Gaza.  We stand ready to support the efforts of the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator.

3. The EU will continue supporting those civilians most in need in Gaza, and has already earmarked an initial 125 million euros for humanitarian aid in 2024. Individually, EU Member States have provided financial support amounting to more than 600 million euros for the occupied Palestinian territories since 7 October 2023.

4. We commend the strong efforts of the UN and all humanitarian actors to deliver lifesaving aid in extremely dire conditions.  We deplore the deaths of an unprecedented number of UN staff members and other humanitarian workers. The EU will continue its strong support to the UN and other humanitarian actors. In particular, we commend the work of UNRWA, who play an even more crucial role in the current situation, also for stability in the region. The EU and its Member States are the largest donors to UNRWA and will continue to support UNRWA in all its fields of operations, including in East Jerusalem, and call for urgent increased funding.

5. Protection of all civilians and unhindered humanitarian access must be ensured by all parties at all times in all conflicts. Full respect of international law including international humanitarian law by all sides is of paramount importance. We urge all sides to respect international law, and note that there must be accountability for violations of international law.

6. We condemn in the strongest possible terms Hamas’ brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel on 7 October 2023. The use of civilians as human shields by Hamas is a particularly deplorable atrocity.

7. As stated by the European Council in October 2023, Israel has the right to defend itself in line with international law including international humanitarian and human rights law. Military operations must be proportionate and in line with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

8. We call on Hamas to immediately cease the continued missile attacks on Israel and to release all hostages, many of which are EU citizens, without any precondition. Human suffering cannot be a bargaining chip. The ICRC must be granted access to the hostages. We welcome the cooperation of regional actors on this matter.

9. Preventing further regional escalation remains crucial. Nobody stands to gain from it. The EU is actively discussing with partners and key stakeholders, and we call on regional actors to refrain from any action that can further aggravate the situation. The EU is following with concern the situation across the Blue Line and recalls that absolutely necessity of respecting UNSCR 1701.  The EU condemns the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which are undermining freedom of navigation. The EU calls for immediate implementation of UNSCR 2722. Upholding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea is vital to the free flow of global commerce and regional security.  

10. The EU is equally concerned for the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where settlement expansion and settler violence have reached record numbers. Settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace. Israel must stop settlement expansion and legalisation, prevent settler violence, evictions and forced transfers and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.

11. We remain committed to a just and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, , with the State of Israel and an independent, democratic, contiguous, sovereign, and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security and mutual recognition with Jerusalem as the future capital of both states in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.

12. The EU is ready to contribute to reviving a political process, including through the Peace Day Effort and welcomes diplomatic peace and security initiatives and supports the holding of an international peace conference soon. The EU is already engaging with its partners in the region and beyond towards revitalising a political horizon, including at the Foreign Ministers’ meeting yesterday.

Allow me to turn to the situation in Syria.   

13. More than twelve years into the conflict, the International Community must redouble efforts to advance a sustainable and comprehensive political solution in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, the only path to sustainable peace for Syria. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in vast parts of Syria.  We take positive note of the 6-month renewal on the permission to use the Bab al Hawa crossing. We call on the regime in Damascus to seriously engage in the political process, to seriously work on the implementation of the measures it announced in its statement on cooperation with UNHCR on the return of refugees. To effectively operate to improve the livelihood of its population, and to prevent the use of its territory to perpetrate attacks that contribute to jeopardise regional security. The European Union has a message for the Syrian people: We will not forget you. We stand firmly as the main humanitarian donor and in support of Special Envoy Pedersen’s efforts to advance on all aspects of UNSCR 2254. It is more than time to revive the Syrian political process.

14. The EU condemns the brutal attacks by the Syrian regime and Russia over the last months in the Idlib province in North-West Syria, targeting residential areas, medical facilities, schools and IDP camps, causing dozens of civilian casualties and further mass displacement of civilians. We urge all concerned parties (and their sponsors), to descalate armed attacks, which increase the risk of a broader regional conflict. The EU repeats its urgent call for a full nationwide ceasefire in Syria. Civilians must be protected and international law, including international humanitarian law, including international humanitarian law, must be respected at all times.

15. The resumption of a genuine political process is long overdue. We strongly encourage UNSE Pedersen to reconvene the Constitutional Committee and to make full use of this Council’s authority in view of the regime’s obvious obstruction. The EU position on Syria has not changed and will not change until necessary progress is achieved on the implementation of UNSCR 2254. This means no normalisation; no lifting of sanctions and no reconstruction until the Syrian regime engages in a credible sustainable and inclusive political process.

16. Accountability and justice for victims will be essential for a stable and peaceful Syria. All parties responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, including sexual and gender-based violence, must be held accountable. We reiterate our call to have the situation in Syria referred to the International Criminal Court. The prosecution of war crimes and other serious crimes under national jurisdiction is under way in several EU Member States. The proceedings brought by Canada and the Netherlands before the International Court of Justice concerning Syria’s breaches of the UN Convention Against Torture also represent a crucial contribution towards securing justice.

17. The EU continues to support, financially and otherwise, a number of initiatives aiming to gather evidence with a view to future legal action, including by the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria (IIIM) and the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.

18. Syria has one of the highest numbers of detained, abducted, and missing persons in the world.

19. The European Union has also welcomed the creation of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons (IIMP) in the Syrian Arab Republic. The institution will address a clear humanitarian imperative not only by clarifying the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria, but also by providing adequate support to the victims, survivors, and families of those missing. The EU welcomes the recent report of the Secretary General on the implementation of resolution 77/301, including the terms of reference of the IIMP and stands ready to support this new institution.

20. The European Union reiterates its call on the Syrian authorities to fully cooperate with the OPCW and its investigations on the use of chemical weapons, including the attack in Douma, as well as on the completion of the dismantling of its chemical weapons programme.

Mr President,

21. The European Union commends Syria’s neighbouring countries for hosting large numbers of refugees for more than a decade. The underlying causes of the refugee and displacement crisis must be addressed accordingly. We warn against any further displacements and against the potential exploitation of such displacements for the purpose of social and demographic engineering. Syrian refugees are still unable to go back home because conditions for safe, dignified and voluntary return, in line with the parameters defined by UNHCR and in accordance with international law, are not fulfilled. It is the primary responsibility of the Syrian regime to remove these obstacles.

22. Uninterrupted and principled delivery of UN cross-border humanitarian assistance remains vital for 4.1 million Syrians in Northwest Syria, whose lives depend on this humanitarian assistance. While we welcome the continuation of this assistance after the termination of the cross-border mechanism, efforts to ensure a guaranteed and sustainable delivery of humanitarian assistance must be redoubled and a permanent solution established. We encourage the Secretary General to continue reporting on the delivery of humanitarian aid and to ensure full transparency.

23. The European Union and its Member States remain the largest donor, having mobilised over EUR 30 billion since 2011 to meet the needs arising from the crisis. The EU hosted the Seventh Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region in June 2023, where the international community pledged EUR 5.6 billion. We are preparing the next edition of the Conference later this year.

24. Early recovery assistance projects are important to support resilience, community capacity-building and the cost-effectiveness of the humanitarian response; but the EU will not fund activities that could support social and demographic engineering or that would be considered as reconstruction projects.

25. The European Union remains committed to the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Syrian state, and will continue to call on all parties to the conflict, particularly the Syrian regime and its allies, to advance a credible sustainable and inclusive political solution based on the full and comprehensive implementation of UNSCR 2254 as the only route to lasting and just peace in Syria.

Thank you.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.