Foreign ministers of Germany and France, leading the European Union (EU), met with the leadership of the transitional government for the first time since the Syrian rebels won the civil war.
According to major foreign media on the 3rd (local time), Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, and Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Foreign Minister, visited Damascus, the capital of Syria, one after another that morning.
The two ministers plan to meet together with Ahmed al-Shara (formerly known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani), the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de facto authority of the transitional government. They also plan to visit Sednaya Prison, where torture and harsh treatment were inflicted under the Assad regime.
This is the first time a foreign minister of an EU member state has visited Syria since the rebel forces led by the Islamic militant group HTS ousted the Bashar al-Assad regime and declared victory in the civil war on the 8th of last month.
Before her visit to Syria, Minister Baerbock stated in a press release, "(This visit) sends a clear signal that a new political beginning is possible between Europe and Syria, and between Germany and Syria," adding, "Reprisals against groups within the population, delays in elections, and attempts to Islamize the judicial and educational systems must be avoided."
Minister Le Drian told foreign media in Damascus, "We hope Syria will be sovereign, stable, and peaceful," and "We hope all Syrians' aspirations will be realized."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
