The European Union needs to engage with the new leadership of Syria to keep them accountable during the transition of power following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in Brussels on Thursday.

The visits came a day after Sharaa — also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani — met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, the highest-level visit from Lebanon to Syria to date. Arab states had responded cautiously to Assad’s fall and the takeover by HTS-led Islamist rebels.

The new Islamist-led government promises moderation, but officials aren’t committing to such issues as women’s rights or free elections.

Syria’s new leader announced on Sunday that all weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, will soon come under state control. This declaration came two weeks after Islamist factions seized control of Damascus,