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Royal Marines seize control of an oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar that was en route to Baniyas in Syria, suspected of breaching EU sanctions against Syria, carrying Iranian crude oil. The United Kingdom's Ambassador to Iran, Robert Macaire, is summoned in Tehran over the incident, which Iran describes as an "illegal seizure".
2019-07-4

Police in northern Greece move more than 400 Syrians and Iraqis by bus from a makeshift camp near the Macedonian border to a shelter near the northern city of Thessaloniki. More than 50,000 migrants remain stranded in Greece following European border closures, and the European Union's agreement with Turkey.
2016-06-13

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Donald Tusk, and European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans meet with Syrian refugees at a camp in the southeastern Turkish town of Nizip prior to talks with a delegation led by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Davutoğlu stresses the importance of implementation of European Union visa liberalization for Turkish citizens in assuring the success of Europe's migrant readmission agreement with his country. Tusk announces that the EU will spend 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) this summer on projects to improve the lives of Syrian migrants.
2016-04-23

Referring to the Brussels bombings, Poland abandons a pledge to shelter Syrian migrants under a European Union relocation agreement.
2016-03-23

European Union and Turkish officials agree on how to handle the flood of refugees. The deal, to return irregular migrants to Turkey, includes acceleration of the country's long-stalled bid for membership in the union; billions of euros in extra aid, 3 billion euros now, another 3 billion by 2018; and, visa-free travel for Turks once the country satisfies the EU criteria. Europe will be taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) strongly condemns the deal as "ugly and illegal." The agreement is set to go into effect Sunday, March 20, 2016.
2016-03-18

European Union foreign ministers, gathered in Luxembourg to discuss the situation in Syria, release a statement urging Russia to stop its attacks in Syria and direct efforts towards a political solution.
2015-10-12

The Arab League grants the Syrian National Coalition the seat within its organisation formerly occupied by the Syrian Republic.
2013-03-6

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov confirms his country is working on mobilization plans to evacuate its citizens from Syria. In the statement, the Foreign Ministry acknowledges for the first time that the rebels might win as the Syrian government is losing control of more and more territory.
2012-12-13

The EU imposes further sanctions on Belarus, Iran, and Syria, expresses support for Libya's National Transitional Council, and reiterates call for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
2011-10-11

The European Union imposes sanctions on 13 Syrian officials in response to a violent crackdown on protests in the country.
2011-05-10