ABOUT US
About The Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union to Syria
Before joining the EU Delegation, Dan Stoenescu served as an Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Tunisia (2017-2021). In addition to several roles within the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and Diaspora departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he held the position of Minister-delegate for Romanians abroad (2015-2016) in the Government of Romania.
Dan Stoenescu pursued his higher education in three different continents. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from Austin College, in Sherman, Texas, in 2003, a Master of Arts degree in Globalization and Development from Warwick University in Great Britain in 2005, and a graduate diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo in 2006. He obtained his Ph.D. in Political science from the University of Bucharest in 2009, with a thesis on “Modern Arab nationalism and Islamic identity after 1987”.
Dan Stoenescu is fluent in Romanian, Spanish, French, Italian, English, Portuguese, and has notions of Arabic.
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Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the European Union to Syria, Dan Stoenescu.
Message from The Head of Delegation
The EU and the Syrians have a common objective: a stable peaceful Syria
Dear visitors,
Syrians have suffered for ten years now, as the vast majority of the people are unjustly paying the price of a violent armed conflict fuelled by an autocratic regime after protesters took the streets peacefully calling for their basic human rights and for democratic change.
More than 400,000 people have died. Around 100.000 have disappeared.
Due to extreme political polarisation, Syrians’ struggle has become an everyday fight for survival, as they seek to ensure their most essential needs. Over 13 million Syrians – half of them children – are facing severe food insecurity and need humanitarian assistance. Over 12 million escaped their homes looking for safe refuge inside and outside Syria. The economy is in freefall. Around 90% of Syrians live in poverty. While the COVID-19 pandemic is further worsening the already dire situation.
Today’s humanitarian crisis in Syria is the worst in modern history.
Politically, since day one, the EU stood by the Syrian people and their right for self-determination, advocating for a sustainable political solution to the conflict through constructive dialogue, supporting a transitional political process, and accountability against war crimes.
At the same time, the EU remains by far the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people through yearly pledges announced in the annual Brussels Conference, dedicated to Syria.
Our interest, as Europeans, is what Syrians want too: we need Syria back on its feet, as a stable neighbour.
The EU is committed to helping the Syrians build a stable peaceful Syria and as Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the EU to Syria, I commit to working in that direction for the years to come.
Dan Stoenescu, Head of the European Union Delegation to Syria