The Foreign Ministers of France And Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot And Annalena Baerbockundertook a joint visit to Damascus. The main goal was to meet Ahmed al Sharaaalso known as Abu Mohammed al Jolanithe new Syrian leader at the head of the coalition of radical Islamists that deposed the president Bashar al Assad last December 8th. Ahmed al Sharaa shook hands with the French Foreign Minister, but refused to shake hands with Annalena Baerbock, just like all Islamic extremists do. An ugly scene that shows who the new master of Syria really is. Baerbock declared that «Germany is determined to help Syria to once again become a safe home for all its inhabitants and to rebuild a functional state, with full control of its territory». While acknowledging international skepticism towards the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Hts), which leads the ruling coalition, Baerbock underlined the importance of seizing this crucial opportunity to support the Syrian people in a historic transition phase. Jean-Noel Barrot, representing France, highlighted that this visit “takes place under the mandate of the European Union”. Through a post on X, he reiterated “the joint commitment of France and Germany alongside the Syrian people, in all their diversity”. Barrot underlined the desire of the two countries to promote a “peaceful and balanced transition in the service of the Syrians and regional stability”. During the meeting with religious representatives of the local Christian community, worried about the new Islamist leadership, Barrot declared: «Today we send a clear signal to the Syrians: a new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria, is possible»
A new European dialogue with Damascus?
France has already resumed diplomatic relations, reopening its embassy on December 17, after a closure that lasted over a decade. Germany, which had severed diplomatic contacts in 2012, also began first talks with the transition authorities on the same day. Both countries are observing the first steps of the new Government with caution. Paris is also preparing to host an international conference on Syria in January, in continuity with the December meeting which involved representatives from the United States, Europe, Arab countries and Türkiye. During the visit, Barrot and Baerbock stopped at Saydnaya prison, a symbol of human rights violations committed under the Assad regime. Ahmed al Sharaa declared that his Government will respect Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities. However, doubts about the nature of the new political course persist. In an interview with CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh, as his forces advanced toward Damascus, Sharaa was asked about his plan to implement a strict Islamic government: “People who fear Islamic government have either seen incorrect or incorrect implementations.” they understood it correctly”
Jihadist presence and dangerous alliances
As the jihadist coalition marched from Idlib towards Damascus, international attention remained largely distracted by the presence of jihadist formations within its ranks. Among these, the Turkistan Islamic Party stands out, whose leader is part of al-Qaeda’s main advisory council. Furthermore, five groups present in the coalition are included on the US terrorism blacklist, highlighting the complexity and risks associated with the composition of the new power structure in Syria. In an interview given at the end of December to Saudi television al Arabiya al Sharaa he admitted that until now government positions have been held exclusively by members of Hts or people close to the group. However, the leader promised “wider participation in the future”. According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of sources inside Syria, most of the Syrians named in the military decree are from HTS, while the rest “come from allied factions.” .
The Observatory then stated “that it had identified six foreign jihadists among those promoted, including an Albanian, a Jordanian, a Tajik, a Turk and a Uyghur member of the jihadist group Turkistan Islamic Party». The Chinese Uyghur militant Abdulaziz Dawood Khudaberdialso known as Zahid and commander of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) separatist forces in Syria, has been appointed brigadier general, a TIP statement said and confirmed by a Syrian military source. To two other Uighur fighters, Mawlan Tarsoun Abdussamad And Abdulsalam Yasin Ahmad, have been conferred the rank of colonel, read the TIP statement published on its website, congratulating them and the Uyghur community on the appointments. Even the Turkish citizen Omar Mohammed Jaftashi and the Jordanian citizen Abdul Rahman Hussein al Khatib have been appointed brigadier generals, the Syrian military source and the HTS source said. Abdul Jasharian ethnic Albanian fighter also known as Abu Qatada al Albaniwas appointed colonel. Jashari he is the head of the Albanian jihadist group Xhemati Alban who was declared a terrorist by the US Treasury Department in 2016, while the Egyptian jihadist Alaa Mohammed Abdel-Baqi he in turn received a military rank.
Pressure on the United States and Europe
Ahmed al Sharaa has already begun to pressure Washington and Brussels to lift the international sanctions imposed on Syria. The United Nations envoy to Damascus also joined the call, underlining the need for a change in approach. Meanwhile, the administration Biden made a significant gesture: he removed the 10 million dollar bounty hanging over al Sharaa’s head and sent a diplomatic delegation to Syria to start talks with the interim government. A senior diplomat from the US State Department, commenting on the administration’s position, declared that the new Syrian government “will be judged by facts, not just words”. However, with a coalition that includes terrorist groups and leadership like that of al Sharaa, the path towards international normalization still appears long and uncertain.
Ahmed al Sharaa shook hands with the French Foreign Minister, but refused to shake hands with Annalena Baerbock
Video of the moment when al Sharaa does not shake Annalena Baerbock’s hand:
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