French, German foreign ministers meet Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) — French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock met on Friday with Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Syria's new administration, during their first official visit to Syria after fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Barrot and Baerbock were received by al-Sharaa in Damascus, but further details were not immediately available.

According to Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, the two represented her and the 27-member bloc. "Our message to Syria’s new leadership: respecting the principles agreed with regional actors and ensuring the protection of all civilians and minorities is of the utmost importance," she said on X.

Before their meeting with al-Sharaa, Barrot visited the French Embassy in Damascus, as well as the Sednaya Prison, known as the Assad regime's torture facility in the capital. He also held meetings with civil society representatives.

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's regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Baerbock said on X that the new beginning can only happen if all Syrians, men and women, regardless of their ethnic or religious group, are given a place in the political process.