ISDS Case Map
Syria
Syria and the European Union on Sunday initialled a cooperation agreement in Damascus, four years after completion of a deal which EU member states failed to sign for political reasons.
Syrian and European officials are expecting to initial a second phase of the Syrian-EU Partnership Agreement, which has been on-hold due to political tension since 2004, before the Christmas holidays.
The European Commission and Syria announced here Tuesday that they are set to initial the Association Agreement in Damascus on Dec. 14 after they agreed on all issues regarding the update of the draft document, which was reached in 2004.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana held talks on Thursday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the Middle East peace process and regional issues. He voiced hope that both sides might next year sign an "association" agreement.
Belarus and Syria will start preparing a free trade agreement, Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Martynov told reporters after the talks with Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic Walid al Muallem on October 2 in Minsk.
The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, discussed the future signature of a EU-Syria Association Agreement, during a meeting on Sunday in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
The Union Cabinet on Friday gave its ex post facto approval for the signing of a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA) between India and Syria
The European Union could sign a long-stalled partnership pact with Syria this year, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Sunday at the Paris launch of a new "Union for the Mediterranean"
Syria remains the only partner out of the nine other Mediterranean countries under the Barcelona process who hasn't signed an association agreement with the EU.
A senior European Parliament official said on Wednesday that the EU and Syria were waiting for the political climate to improve to allow the signing of an association agreement. The accord, on which the two sides completed negotiations in October 2004 but which needs ratification, aims to set up a free-trade zone by 2010.
