Excerpt: “The President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Hadi al-Bahra, extended his gratitude to the European Union, expressing deep appreciation for the EU’s response to the Syrian people’s demands to suspend sanctions on the energy, aviation, and financial sectors in Syria for one year. Al-Bahra also expressed his hope that the European Union would take the step of fully lifting the sanctions, thereby alleviating the suffering of Syrians and accelerating early recovery and reconstruction projects. In a previous statement, al-Bahra welcomed France’s decision to lift some sanctions on Syria, emphasizing that the country looks forward to more positive steps to lift all sanctions affecting the Syrian people’s lives. He stressed the urgency of sanctions relief to enable the nation to recover from the numerous crises caused by the Assad regime prior to its downfall.”