OR European Union wants to get in touch “soon” with the new authorities at Syriaon an “operational” and not a “political” level, a senior European official said today.

“We intend to develop contacts. Those contacts will be at the operational level and we hope that will happen soon,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

These contacts will not take place “at a political level, nor at the level of high-ranking officials”, he stressed, adding that the EU had a mandate for Syria, with a place of residence in Beirut.

After an 11-day operation, the rebel coalition dominated by Abu Mohammed al-Golani’s Sunni Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured Damascus on Sunday, ending half a century of rule by the Assad family.

The EU, whose foreign ministers are meeting Monday in Brussels, wants to “send messages” to the new Syrian authorities, mainly about respecting minorities, human rights and the country’s territorial integrity, the official explained.

Europeans are particularly concerned about the fate of the minorities, in a country where Sunnis, Alawites, Christians and Kurds hardly coexist.

Syria must not repeat the “horrific scenarios” of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, Europe’s foreign policy chief warned on Tuesday. Kaya Kalas. The EU had clarified at the time that it had “no relationship” with the leaders of the radical Islamist group HTS.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is still considered a terrorist organization by Western countries. The EU adopted sanctions against it and its leadership under a 2014 UN resolution.

However, this decision does not prevent “contacts”, according to a European diplomatic source.

OR HTS is the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, which says it is no longer affiliated with jihadism.

The Europeans are also concerned about the preservation or not of the two Russian bases in this country, which they consider to represent a threat to the stability of the region.

“We would be very happy if the new authorities decided to expel them,” to close these bases, “but it is up to them to decide,” the European official also said today.

Russia has two military bases in Syria, one air and one naval, which had been used to support ousted president Bashar al-Assad before he fled. The bases are also crucial in securing the Kremlin’s influence in the region.

Moscow said this week that it is “in touch” with the new Syrian authorities regarding what will happen to the two military bases.

Kalas is expected to attend a summit on the crisis on Saturday along with the foreign ministers of several Arab countries, Turkey and the UN special envoy for Syria.