Almost a month after the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) traveled to Syria together with her French colleague Jean-Noël Barrot to expand the European Union's relations with the Syrian transitional government.
In Damascus, the two ministers met the Syrian de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. Baerbock and Barrot are the first EU foreign ministers to visit the country since his Islamist force Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) toppled the Syrian president last month. A coordinated approach by both countries to stabilize and support Syria seems sensible: In recent years, France has positioned itself even more decisively than Germany against Assad and normalizing relations with him. While the fight against terrorism is the main focus for France, in Germany it is primarily migration. Both topics have far-reaching significance for all of Europe.
After her meeting with al-Sharaa on Friday afternoon, Baerbock said that Europe would support Syria but would not “finance new Islamist structures.” It is clear that Syrians from abroad will only return to rebuild the country if they can be sure that their own lives and those of their relatives are safe and free, said Baerbock.
Baerbock warns that the time until elections should not be too long
The Foreign Minister had previously stated that the EU wanted to support Syria with a “comprehensive and peaceful transfer of power” and reconstruction. This will be a “rocky road”. A new political beginning between Europe and Syria is possible. However, this can only succeed if the new Syrian society guarantees political participation, rights and protection for all people – regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion.
Many Syrians, as well as Western states, distrust the HTS, which has now broken away from the terrorist organizations al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. After the fall of the dictatorial regime, they promised the population a new beginning and a country in which minorities did not have to be afraid: a united Syria for everyone.
Baerbock said it was important that these rights were not undermined by excessive delays until elections or by steps to Islamize the judiciary or the education system. Al-Shaara said just a few days ago that it could take up to four years before elections could be held in Syria. Three years alone are needed to develop a draft for a new constitution. But the road to democratization of the country is long, and it remains to be seen whether the de facto ruler keeps his word and is actually as liberal as he claims to be. He did not shake hands with Foreign Minister Baerbock at the meeting in Damascus, unlike her French colleague.
What is perceived as rudeness in the West is quite common among Orthodox Muslims, especially in very conservative countries like Saudi Arabia. They don't shake hands with strange women. So far, this has hardly happened in Syria, but it was probably important to al-Sharaa not to irritate his Islamist supporters.
The process leading up to an election takes too long for many people. Germany has a great interest in Syria's stability, says CDU foreign policy expert Jürgen Hardt, but the aid must be “clearly conditioned so that the political process goes in the right direction.” The aim is a pluralistic, constitutional society in which minorities are not oppressed and the transition to democracy takes place quickly.
Despite the uncertain situation, Development Minister Schulze (SPD) recently pushed for help for Syria. Accordingly, the federal government has launched several aid projects worth 60 million euros. Part of this should flow into the repair of schools and the psychosocial care of traumatized children. Last year alone, the Federal Republic supported UN organizations and non-governmental organizations with a total of 220 million euros in humanitarian aid. This supported stabilization measures in opposition areas, but also civil society. An important partner is, among others, the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which Germany has been supporting since 2016. Annalena Baerbock praised their humanitarian and medical work during her visit to the notorious Saidnaya torture prison and called for the crimes of the Assad regime to be dealt with.
According to Middle East expert and journalist Daniel Gerlach, German investments in civil society dialogue and confidence-building measures in particular contributed to “the fact that the population groups behind the parties to the conflict met relatively peacefully in the end and there was no major battle.” . It is now up to Europe to provide the transitional government with Syrian experts in order to “complete the transition process reasonably successfully”. The main thing now is to make the state institutions functional, to ensure that Syria does not disintegrate further, and to stabilize the economy, which also includes the energy supply. “Anything that Europe doesn’t do now will be used by other actors in the region and fill the vacuum,” says Middle East expert Gerlach.
