Syrian president meets German foreign minister in Damascus

DAMASCUS

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met in Damascus on Thursday with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and European Parliament member Armin Laschet.

A presidency statement did not provide details about the content of the meeting, which came shortly after Germany announced the reopening of its embassy in Damascus after a 13-year closure.

This was the second visit by the German foreign minister to Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December. Baerbock’s first visit was in January.

“The German Embassy in Damascus has officially reopened, and we will support Syria politically and economically,” Baerbock said following the reopening of the diplomatic mission.

“The Syrian people need assistance and reconstruction,” she said, reiterating her country’s solidarity with Syrian efforts for peace.

“The first steps toward unifying the country have been taken, and the next must involve all segments of society,” she added.

"Syria must belong to all Syrians, and we called on the government to prosecute those responsible for the crimes," Baerbock said, stressing that the country’s political process must include all ethnic and religious groups before refugees return.

At a donor conference for Syria held in Brussels earlier this week, Germany pledged 300 million euros to bolster Syria’s economic stability.

During the event, participants pledged 5.8 billion euros to support Syrians and refugee-hosting nations.

Addressing Israel’s repeated strikes on Syrian territory, Baerbock declared, “Israel must respect international law and stop attacking neighboring states,” as per the state news agency SANA.

After the fall of the Assad regime, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.

Israel also launched hundreds of airstrikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems, and air defense installations, according to reports.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.