Damascus, MINA – The French and German Foreign Ministers met with Syria’s new de facto rulers in Damascus, marking the first high-level European visit to the country since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad last month.
Annalena Baerbock of Germany and Jean-Noel Barrot of France held talks with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, widely known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, in Syria’s capital, Damascus, on Friday, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Their visit came as Western governments began to engage with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, led by al-Sharaa, which has a past connection to al-Qaeda and led the rebellion against al-Assad.
There is ongoing debate in European countries regarding whether to lift the “terrorist” label from HTS.
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Barrot first arrived in Damascus on Friday morning, after posting on the social media platform X that France and Germany support the Syrian people “in all their diversity.”
The two countries also expressed support for “a peaceful transition, with demands for the benefit of the Syrian people and regional stability.”
“A political solution must be reached with our French allies, the Kurdish tribes, so that they are fully integrated into the political process that begins today,” Barrot said after meeting with civil society representatives in Damascus.
In a press conference following the meeting with the new Syrian government, Baerbock said: “In our discussions today, we emphasized that Europe will support [Syria], but Europe will not be a financier for Islamist structures.”
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“Ethnic and religious groups, both men and women… must be involved in Syria’s constitutional process and future governance,” she added. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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