German, French Foreign Ministers Meet Syria’s New Rulers

The foreign ministers of Germany and France said they wanted to forge a new relationship with Syria and urged a peaceful transition as they met its de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday on behalf of the European Union.

Germany’s Annalena Baerbock and France’s Jean-Noel Barrot are the first ministers from the EU to visit Syria since rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8 and forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family’s decades-long rule.

Their trip is meant to send a message of cautious optimism to the Islamist rebels led by Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), showing an openness to acknowledging the new rulers while also urging moderation and respect for minorities’ rights.

“Our message to Syria’s new leadership: respecting the principles agreed with regional actors and ensuring the protection of all civilians and minorities is of the utmost importance,” wrote Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on social media platform X about the trip.

The French and German ministers met Sharaa in the Damascus People’s Palace, but so far no details of their talks have been made public.

Western governments have begun to gradually open channels with Sharaa and HTS, a Sunni Muslim group previously affiliated with Al Qaeda and Islamic State, and are starting to debate whether to remove the group’s terrorist designation.

A host of questions remain about the future of a multi-ethnic country where foreign states including Turkey and Russia have strong and potentially competing interests.

Outstretched Hand

Baerbock said she was travelling 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 in a statement ahead of the trip, adding that a new beginning to relations could only happen if there is no place for extremism and radical groups.

“But we also hear and see the desire for moderation and for understanding with other important actors,” she added, citing talks with U.S.-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces.

The goal now is for Syria to once again become a respected member of the international community, she said, which also lies in Europe’s security interests.

Barrot similarly expressed his hope for a “sovereign and safe” Syria that would leave no room for terrorism, chemical weapons or malign foreign actors, during a meeting with representatives from Syrian civil society organisations.

Germany and France plan to offer their technical help and advice to Syria as the country drafts a new constitution, Barrot told journalists, saying that hope for the country’s democratic transition was “fragile but real”.

Barrot also visited the French embassy, which has been closed since 2012, where he said France would work towards re-establishing diplomatic representation in line with political and security conditions, diplomatic sources said.

As part of their visit, the ministers took a tour of Syria’s most notorious prison, the vast Sednaya complex.

“Now it’s up to the international community to help to bring justice to the people who have suffered here in this prison of hell,” Baerbock said.

Reuters/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma