Religious slaughter in Syria shows need for US, Europe to 'keep a close eye' on Islamist regime: Greek FM
Syria's bloodiest internal clash since Bashar al-Assad's ouster broke out over the weekend
By Morgan Phillips Fox News
Published March 10, 2025 1:55pm EDT
With hundreds left dead over the weekend under Syria’s new regime, Greek Foreign Minister Giorigios Gerapetritis warned Europe and the U.S. to "keep a close eye" on the ruling Islamist group that is working to gain acceptance by the West.
Syria contains a sizable population of Orthodox Christians, and Gerapetritis insisted the international community demand religious minorities be included in governance, or else leave sanctions in place.
"All ethnic and religious minorities should be included in the governance, rule of law," he told Fox News Digital in an interview conducted last week prior to the weekend's violence.
"The release of sanctions should take place mostly on a gradual basis. We need to see how it goes," he went on, adding that any lifting of sanctions should be "reversible."
"It is of the utmost importance that the U.S. and Europe are keeping a close eye on Syria. We need to encourage the new regime to stay close to international law."
Days of clashes between those affiliated with Syria’s new governing force HTS and those loyal to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad have left hundreds of civilians dead.
Death toll estimates have varied. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday more than 1,000 people had been killed, including 700 civilians. Another monitoring group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, reported that government forces had killed 327 civilians and captured militants and Assad loyalists had killed 148.
It was the bloodiest internal clash since Assad was ousted in early December.
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