Six member states of the European Union have called for the bloc to temporarily suspend sanctions on Syria in areas such as transport, energy and banking, according to a paper seen by Reuters. EU foreign ministers are set to discuss relaxing Syria sanctions during a meeting in Brussels on Jan.

Germany’s foreign minister says sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for war crimes must remain in place but called for a “smart approach” to provide relief to the Syrian population after last month’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad.

European officials are co-ordinating their positions on how to partially lift sanctions on Syria before a meeting of foreign ministers on January 27 to set out changes in response to the overthrow of the Assad regime.

RIYADH (Reuters) - European foreign ministers will meet at the end of January to discuss the lifting of sanctions on Syria, the EU foreign policy chief said on Sunday in Riyadh ahead of a meeting of top Middle Eastern and Western diplomats and Syria's new foreign minister.

Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who has repeatedly called for lifting long-standing sanctions, attended the talks alongside foreign ministers and representatives from Bahrain, Egypt, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries.

Germany has advocated a relaxation of some EU sanctions against Syria following the ouster of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad as Saudi Arabia hosted Sunday an international conference on the situation in the war-shattered country.

Six European Union member states have reportedly urged the bloc to temporarily lift sanctions on Syria in sectors like transport, energy, and banking.

The sanctions currently in place are primarily against the former government of Bashar al-Assad and his allies.