German and French foreign ministers visit Syria

The German and French foreign ministers travelled to Damascus to send what the German minister described as a clear signal that a “new political beginning between Europe and Syria is possible.”

It is the first official visit to the country by top diplomats from European Union member states since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Germany’s Annalena Baerbock and France’s Jean-Noël Barrot are expected to meet Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that toppled al-Assad, as well as representatives of Syrian civil society on Friday.

Baerbock said there can be a “new beginning” only if the new Syrian society grants all people, regardless of ethnic or religious background, a place in the political process along with rights and protection.

She said those rights should not be undermined by an overly long transition to elections or by “steps toward the Islamification of the justice or education system,” that there should be no acts of revenge against entire groups of the population, and that extremism should have no place.

“It is important that I am here with my colleague the French Foreign Minister on behalf of the European Union,” she said while in Damascus, thanking the Syrian White Helmets for their civil work during Al-Assad’s rule.

French Foreign Minister Barrot began the visit on Friday with a meeting with Christian religious leaders in Damascus. He posted on X that the two countries “want to promote a peaceful and urgent transition in the service of Syrians and for regional stability.”

Barrot also visited the French embassy in the Syrian capital, which opened its doors a few weeks ago after 13 years of closure.

Since al-Assad’s ouster in a lightning offensive by opposition forces, Damascus has experienced a flurry of visits from Arab and Western countries that had cut off relations with the government during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war.

However, Western countries have so far not lifted sanctions placed on Syria under al-Assad or removed the designation of HTS as a terrorist group, although the United States lifted the nearly €10 million bounty it previously placed on al-Sharaa.