German and French ministers to Syria, as the first leaders on behalf of the European Union

German and French Foreign Ministers Annalena Baerbock and Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday to meet Ahmed al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa is the leader of the HTS rebels. Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad a month ago, he has been the de facto leader of Syria. Baerbock and Barrot are the first EU leaders to meet al-Sharaa. They represent the European Union, say the ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries in a communication.

“My journey today with my French counterpart on behalf of the EU is a clear signal,” Baerbock wrote on Friday on X. “A new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria is possible.” Her colleague Barrot writes that “France and Germany stand with the Syrians.”

The ministers arrived separately in Damascus on Friday morning. In addition to al-Sharaa, they will also meet people from “Syrian civil society”. “Because it is now crucial that religious or ethnic groups and minorities in Syria, such as the Alawites, Christians, Druze or Kurds, but also women, participate in the political process,” the German ministry wrote. The ministers also visit the infamous Saydnaya torture prison.

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