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Germany and France’s top diplomats went to Damascus on behalf of the European Union. It’s the first such trip in years, and part of a flurry of Western outreach.
Jan. 3, 2025Updated 6:53 a.m. ET
Syria’s new leaders are set to meet the French and German foreign ministers in the capital, Damascus, on Friday in one of the highest-level Western diplomatic visits since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last month.
Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s top diplomat, and Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, arrived in Damascus for the first such trip in years on behalf on the European Union, as world powers have begun building ties with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group that leads the new Syrian government.
Ms. Baerbock and Mr. Barrot were scheduled to meet with Ahmad al-Shara, the group’s leader. The two also visited the notorious Sednaya prison, where Mr. al-Assad’s regime tortured and killed thousands of detainees.
“We are traveling to Damascus today to offer our support, but also with clear expectations of the new rulers,” Ms. Baerbock said in a statement. “A new beginning can only happen if all Syrians, no matter their ethnicity and religion, are given a place in the political process.”
The visits are among a flurry of meetings between rebel leaders and Western officials looking to gradually open channels to the new Syrian authorities as Mr. al-Shara has worked to project a moderate image since taking power.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is still blacklisted as a terrorist group by the United States and the United Nations because of its past ties to Al Qaeda. Mr. al-Shara has called on the international community to remove the designation, sought to reassure minority groups and said he wants to focus on rebuilding Syria after years of civil war.
