Syria Offered ‘Political New Beginning’ by French and German Foreign Ministers

Annalena Baerbock says all Syrians have to be offered ‘a place in the political process’ regardless of their religious or ethnic background.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visit Sednaya prison, which was known as a "slaughterhouse" under Syria's Bashar al-Assad rule, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Sednaya, Syria, on Jan. 3, 2025. Khalil Ashawi /Reuters

The French and German foreign ministers are visiting Damascus on Friday to meet Syria’s new leadership and offer a “political new beginning” after the end of decades of rule by the Assad regime.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, are due to meet Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group led a lightning offensive that eventually forced Bashar al-Assad to flee into exile in Russia.