ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock led a high-profile delegation to Damascus on Thursday to hold talks with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and reopen her country’s embassy in the country after a 13-year shut down.
She emphasized that Germany is monitoring developments in Syria before restoring full consular services.
The reopening of the embassy means Berlin wants to “say very clearly” that it is back in Damascus, Baerbock was cited by the German state-run broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) as stating.
Germany “has a paramount interest in a stable Syria,” Baerbock stressed, adding however, that no German ambassador will be positioned in Damascus for the time being and that such a move depends on “further political” and “security” developments in Syria.
German consular services will be provided through Syria’s western neighbor, Lebanon, until further notice, the foreign minister said, adding that her country wants “the political process in Syria to move forward” and will “support it as well as possible.”
Baerbock underscored that Germany and European countries need their staff “as eyes and ears on the ground.” Commenting on the deadly violence that recently broke out in Syria's west, the German diplomat stressed that “it is now up to them [Syria’s new leadership] to hold those responsible to account,” emphasizing that “any attempt at renewed escalation must be prevented.”
Clashes erupted in the Alawite-majority coastal areas of western Syria in early March after loyalists of ousted president Bashar al-Assad launched attacks on security forces affiliated with Syria’s new leadership.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that around 1,500 people - mostly Alawite civilians - were killed. The UK-based war monitor said the majority of the deaths were caused by government or government-affiliated forces.
The European Union on Monday pledged nearly €2.5 billion (around $2.7 billion) in aid for Syria, as global powers and regional countries convened in Brussels to drive donations and address the country’s humanitarian crisis caused by years of war. Germany alone allocated around $327 million to UN agencies and select organizations to assist Syria.
Moreover, Germany, a leading power in the European Union, has been a primary destination for Syrian refugees over the past decade.
Baerbock warned on Thursday that a sudden mass return of the millions who fled would lead to Syria’s collapse. She emphasized that those wishing to go back must follow a gradual, “step-by-step” process, beginning with refugees in Syria’s immediate neighboring countries.
Importantly, Baerbock praised the landmark deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus in early March, which is geared towards integrating the SDF into Syria’s state institutions. She also encouraged the inclusion of other groups in the country’s political process, as they are “part of a new Syria.”