This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA shows France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (C) and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (L) walking with Syria's new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of their meeting in Damascus on Jan. 3, 2025. (Credit: AFP/HO/SANA)
On Thursday, Jan. 3, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock traveled to Damascus — on behalf of the European Union — for talks with Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which assumed power on Dec. 8 following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.They are the first Western politicians of this stature to meet with Syria's new leadership. Read more Post-Assad Syria: A chance for Gulf countries to reconcile? Like their American counterparts, the French and German delegations sought to outline their conditions for potentially lifting sanctions while addressing strategic issues aligned with European interests in Syria and the wider region."It was important for the Europeans to send foreign ministers fairly quickly, because there's significant work to be done in restoring the...
On Thursday, Jan. 3, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock traveled to Damascus — on behalf of the European Union — for talks with Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which assumed power on Dec. 8 following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.They are the first Western politicians of this stature to meet with Syria's new leadership. Read more Post-Assad Syria: A chance for Gulf countries to reconcile? Like their American counterparts, the French and German delegations sought to outline their conditions for potentially lifting sanctions while addressing strategic issues aligned with European interests in Syria and the wider region."It was important for the Europeans to send foreign ministers fairly quickly, because there's significant work to be done in restoring...