Germany reopened its embassy in Damascus 13 years after it was closed at the onset of Syria’s civil war, according to AP News.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock presided over the reopening during her second visit to Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December.
Germany is one of the first major European Union countries to reopen its embassy in Syria. Italy reopened its embassy last year before Assad’s fall, while Spain did so after his ouster. Baerbock emphasised that the reopening represents a message of hope for a “political new beginning” between Europe and Syria, as well as between Germany and Syria.
However, she stressed that this new chapter depends on Syria ensuring “freedom, security, and opportunity for all people—for women and men, for people belonging to all ethnic groups and religions.”
The reopening comes amid ongoing instability in Syria. Earlier this month, clashes between forces loyal to Assad and the country’s new rulers resulted in the worst violence since the civil war, leaving about 1,000 dead, mostly from Assad’s Alawite minority community.
Baerbock acknowledged that the clashes have “massively cost confidence” and called on the transitional government, led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, to take control of the actions of its factions and hold those responsible for violence accountable.
German foreign minister also praised a recent “historic” agreement between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led authority controlling the country’s northeast. She stressed the need for inclusion of other groups to ensure they feel part of a “new Syria.”
