‘New political beginning’: German, French FMs to meet with nascent Syrian regime
First top level EU diplomats to visit Damascus since fall of Assad regime; German FM says coming with ‘outstretched hand’ as well as ‘clear expectations’ for new government
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot are travelling to Syria for a one-day trip on behalf of the EU, where they will meet Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria’s new regime, the German foreign ministry said on Friday.
“My trip today — together with my French counterpart and on behalf of the EU — is a clear signal to the Syrians: A new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria, is possible,” Baerbock said, according to a ministry statement issued before she left for Damascus.
Baerbock and Barrot are the first top diplomats from the European Union to visit Syria since rebels seized control of Damascus on December 8, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
“In Syria, we want to promote a peaceful and demanding transition in the service of the Syrians and for regional stability,” Barrot said on social media platform X.
Since ousting Assad, Islamist rebels led by Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have sought to reassure Arab countries and the international community that they will govern on behalf of all Syrians and not export an Islamist revolution.
Western governments have begun to gradually open channels with Sharaa and HTS, a Sunni Muslim group previously affiliated with al-Qaeda, and are starting to debate whether to remove the group’s terrorist designation.
Baerbock said she was traveling to Syria with an “outstretched hand” as well as “clear expectations” of the new rulers, who she said would be judged by their actions.
“We know where the HTS comes from ideologically, what it has done in the past,” said Baerbock.
“But we also hear and see the desire for moderation and for understanding with other important actors,” she added, citing talks with US-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The goal now is for Syria to once again become a respected member of the international community, she added.
She also asked the new regime to avoid “acts of vengeance against groups within the population”, to avoid a long delay before elections, and to avert attempts to Islamize the judicial and education systems.
“This must be our common objective,” she added.
Prison visit
The two ministers also plan to visit the notorious Sednaya prison, not far from the capital.
Sednaya was the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances, and epitomized the atrocities committed against Assad’s opponents.
Since his ouster, a bevy of foreign envoys have traveled to Damascus to meet with the country’s new leaders.
France and Germany both sent lower-level delegations last month.
At the start of his visit, Barrot met with representatives of Syria’s Christian communities.
Diplomatic sources said Barrot told the Christian leaders that France was committed to a pluralistic Syria with equal rights for all, including minority groups.
Syria’s civil war — which started in 2011, sparked by the Assad government’s brutal repression of democracy protests — saw Germany, France and a host of other countries shutter their diplomatic missions in Damascus.
The conflict killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and left Syria fragmented and ravaged.
The new authorities have called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad to allow for reconstruction.
Paris is due to host an international summit on Syria later this month, following a similar meeting in December in Jordan.
