Annalena Baerbock says Middle Eastern country must not ‘Islamise justice or education systems’ during diplomatic visit to Damascus
Damascus- Germany’s foreign minister has warned Syria’s new leaders that lifting sanctions imposed on the country will depend on them not establishing a new Islamist government.
During her visit to Damascus on Friday, Annalena Baerbock said that “Europe will support” Syria in its transition but “will not finance new Islamist structures”.
She added: “This is not only in our own security interests but also what I have heard time and again from very many Syrians in Germany… and here in the region.”
In the highest-level diplomatic visit by major Western powers since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, Ms Baerbock met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto ruler, alongside Jean-Noël Barrot, her French counterpart.
The pair made the case for Syria to cut ties with Russia, which helped sustain the Assad regime and still retains two bases on the country’s Mediterranean coast.
Ms Baerbock also said she had made clear that “women’s rights are a yardstick” for progress towards improvements in human rights in talks with Mr Sharaa and other officials.
She stressed that all Syrian groups, including women and Kurds, must be involved in the country’s transition if Damascus wants European support.
Mr Sharaa, formerly known under his nom de guerre Mohammad al-Jolani, leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – an Islamist rebel group with former ties to al-Qaeda that led the offensive to overthrow the Assad regime last month.
Mr Sharaa has surprised observers with his pursuit of diplomacy, rejection of revenge against supporters of Assad and promises to protect Syria’s minority groups.
The United States last month removed a $10 million bounty on Mr Sharaa’s head tied to his former terror links as Western leaders seek to build ties with Syria’s new rulers and lure them into an alliance against Vladimir Putin.
Refusal to shake hands a ‘scandal’
Ahead of their meeting, Mr Sharaa greeted both foreign ministers in the presidential palace in Damascus.
He shook the hand of Mr Barrot but placed his hand over his heart to welcome Ms Baerbock, a common gesture used predominantly by Muslim men towards women.
The move caused some anger in Germany, with Bild newspaper labelling it a “scandal” that her male counterpart was offered a handshake when she was not.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Ms Baerbock, who did not wear the veil during her closely-watched visit, said she hoped Syria would become a “safe home” for its people and a “functioning state”.
But she warned against “excessively long deadlines for elections” or “steps to Islamise the justice or education systems”.
Earlier this week, proposed interim changes to the country’s school curriculum caused controversy after they included the removal of a science unit on evolution, references to women in poetry and reclassified texts on a third-century queen as fiction.
Ms Baerbock reiterated her position after meeting Mr Sharaa, stating that Syria must avoid an exclusively Islamist government.
Germany is home to the third largest population of Syrian refugees in the world, behind Turkey and Lebanon. It wants many of the one million Syrians living within its borders to return home.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said on X that the visiting ministers represented the EU on her behalf, adding: “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.”
European leaders are also eager to press the case for a united front against Moscow, whose forces carried out brutal attacks on the opposition during the 2011-2016 civil war, which Assad eventually won.
Ms Baerbock said: “It’s time for Russia to leave its military bases in Syria”
Despite withdrawing from much of Syria, Moscow has retained two key facilities: a naval port on the Mediterranean coast in Tartus, and a nearby air base at Khmeimim. They are considered vital to Russian influence in the Middle East and to managing military operations in Africa.
Talks are underway between Moscow and HTS to allow the Russian forces to stay, according to Bloomberg.
Aiming to encourage a severance of ties with Putin, Ms Baerbock accused the Russian president of “massive bombings and human rights violations” in a post on X. “The Syrian people will not forget,” she added.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister – whose country is about to enter its fourth year of war with Russia and who visited Damascus earlier in the week – welcomed the EU foreign ministers’ visit as “timely and strategic”.
He said: “During my talks in Damascus earlier this week, I saw a lot of potential for cooperation. It is time for all of Europe to work together to restore stability and normal life for Syria and the wider region.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has sent aid to Syria in the form of grain and said he is working to re-establish ties with the nation. Ukraine sees the removal of Russian presence as essential for Syria’s security.
On Wednesday, Asaad Al-Shaibani, Syria’s new foreign minister, traveled to Saudi Arabia for the authority’s first official overseas visit.
The trip followed comments made by Mr Sharaa on Saudi state television, in which he said the kingdom would “certainly have a large role in Syria’s future”.
Foreign Islamist fighters get senior army positions
The new Syrian authorities are reported to have given some foreign Islamist fighters senior official posts in the country’s armed forces.
The army is being reorganized by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group that is now effectively in charge of the country following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.
There’s been no confirmation by the new leadership of the move, but it seems likely to raise concern inside and outside Syria over the role such foreign militants may play in the country’s future.
Several Syrian sources have deduced that out of almost 50 new military roles that have been announced, at least six have gone to foreigners.
Based on the names that have been published, they are said to include Chinese Uyghurs, a Jordanian, and a Turkish national. All are said to have been given high-ranking positions as colonels or brigadier generals.
Another scandal exposing Sharra’s Islamist roots
File :Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed he had not forced Lea Kheirallah to cover her hair when she asked for a photo with him in Damascus last week. There is a huge concern that he might seek to enforce an Islamic system in Syria: Dec 21, 2024
Al-Sharaa dismissed the online controversy over videos showing him gesturing to a young woman to cover her hair before he posed for a photo with heron December 21.
The incident sparked criticism from both liberal and conservative commentators amid intense speculation about the county’s future direction after rebels swept to power.
Liberals saw the request as a sign that Sharaa might seek to enforce an Islamic system in Syria after leading the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, while hardline conservatives criticized him for consenting to be photographed with the woman in the first place.
The Telegraph