Top European diplomats in Syria for talks with leader Sharaa

Last Update: 2025-01-03 14:00:02 - Source: Al monitor

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to meet the French and German foreign ministers on Friday, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers under the new authorities in Damascus.

Top French diplomat Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in the Syrian capital on Friday, AFP journalists said. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined him later, a ministry source told AFP, for talks on behalf of the European Union.

Sharaa, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the offensive that toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in early December.