German and French Foreign Ministers visit Syria for historic talks with new rulers, signaling EU's readiness for a new political beginning after years of conflict.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is travelling to Syria for a one-day trip with her French counterpart on behalf of the EU, where she will meet Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria's new rulers, the German foreign ministry said on Friday.
"My trip today - together with my French counterpart and on behalf of the EU - is a clear signal to the Syrians: A new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria, is possible," Baerbock said, according to a ministry statement issued before she left for Damascus.
Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot are the first top diplomats from the European Union to visit Syria since rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family's decades-long rule.
"In Syria, we want to promote a peaceful and demanding transition in the service of the Syrians and for regional stability," Barrot said on social media platform X.
Since ousting Assad, Islamist rebels led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have sought to reassure Arab countries and the international community that they will govern on behalf of all Syrians and not export Islamist revolution.
Western governments have begun to gradually open channels with Sharaa and HTS, a Sunni Muslim group previously affiliated with Al Qaeda, and are starting to debate whether to remove the group's terrorist designation.
Baerbock said she was travelling to Syria with an "outstretched hand" as well as "clear expectations" of the new rulers, who she said would be judged by their actions.
"We know where the HTS comes from ideologically, what it has done in the past," said Baerbock.
"But we also hear and see the desire for moderation and for understanding with other important actors," she added, citing talks with U.S.-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The goal now is for Syria to once again become a respected member of the international community, she added.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a transitional government on Saturday, marking a key milestone in the country’s shift away from decades of Assad family rule and aimed at improving Syria's relations with the West.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin that cooperation between their countries is vital for regional stability. In a phone call, he reaffirmed Türkiye’s support for peace in Ukraine, safe navigation in the Black Sea, and Syria’s territorial integrity.
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International donors at a European Union-led conference in Brussels pledged €5.8 billion ($6.3 billion) on Monday to support Syria’s new authorities, who are grappling with humanitarian and security crises following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The interim government in Damascus will attend an international conference on Monday in Brussels to seek aid pledges for Syria, which continues to face significant humanitarian challenges and an uncertain political future following the departure of Bashar al-Assad.
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s inner circle is advising him against speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin unless Russia commits to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, NBC News reported on Thursday, citing administration officials.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, is visiting Washington this week for talks with members of the Trump administration, sparking fresh speculation over behind-the-scenes diplomacy between Moscow and Washington.
A Russian drone strike hit residential buildings in Kharkiv late on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring 32 others, Ukrainian officials said, as nightly attacks on the country's cities continue to mount.
In Sydney’s Bennelong, where Chinese Australians make up a large share of the electorate, the fight for votes is playing out on unexpected turf: Xiaohongshu.
The United States is relapsing into an old identity. In 2025, President Donald Trump revived the strategy that once defined the American economy — tariffs. For more than a century, from 1789 to 1913, tariffs powered U.S. government revenues and protected domestic industry.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s inner circle is advising him against speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin unless Russia commits to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, NBC News reported on Thursday, citing administration officials.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, is visiting Washington this week for talks with members of the Trump administration, sparking fresh speculation over behind-the-scenes diplomacy between Moscow and Washington.
A Russian drone strike hit residential buildings in Kharkiv late on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring 32 others, Ukrainian officials said, as nightly attacks on the country's cities continue to mount.
In Sydney’s Bennelong, where Chinese Australians make up a large share of the electorate, the fight for votes is playing out on unexpected turf: Xiaohongshu.
Leaders from Central Asia and the European Union will meet in Samarkand on April 4 for the first-ever EU-Central Asia Summit, aimed at deepening ties. Talks will focus on trade, investment, green energy, and security — marking a new era of cooperation.
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