Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.Damascus (dpa) – The foreign ministers from Germany and France arrived in Damascus on Friday morning for talks with the transitional government formed by the militant groups that drove former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad from the country.
The diplomats, whose travel plans were not announced in advance, are expected to outline conditions for a resumption of relations between Syria’s new de facto government and the European Union.
“A political new beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria, is possible,” said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
She arrived with her French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, and on behalf of the EU “with this outstretched hand, but also with clear expectations of the new rulers.”
The visit comes some four weeks after a rapid rebel advance finally toppled al-Assad from power following more than a decade of brutal civil war. Al-Assad fled Damascus for Russia.
Baerbock and Barrot are the first EU foreign ministers to visit Syria since al-Assad’s overthrow. They, on behalf of the EU’s foreign representative Kaja Kallas, plan to hold talks with representatives of the rebel-formed transitional government.
De facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa is the leader of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that is designated as a terrorist organization by the EU and the United States, and was previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
Baerbock flew to Damascus from Cyprus on Friday morning on a German military A400M propeller transport aircraft. Barrot had celebrated the New Year with Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the French troops stationed with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
More than 16 million Syrians rely on humanitarian aid
Syria has been largely destroyed after nearly 14 years of civil war and is contaminated with landmines and other ordnance.
The country lacks labour and skilled workers, the economy is contracting, and the currency has lost more than 90% of its value since 2020. Public services have collapsed. More than 16 million people rely on humanitarian aid.
Nearly 1 million Syrians in Germany
In Baerbock’s discussions in Damascus, the potential return of Syrian refugees from Germany, as supported by the transitional Syrian government, is likely to be a topic.
Around 975,000 Syrians currently live in Germany, according to the German Interior Ministry. Most arrived in the country since 2015 as a result of the civil war. (3 January)
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