German, French foreign ministers meet with Syria’s HTS
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (l) meets with the new Syrian ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa (M), on the right her French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot.Credit: Jörg Blank/dpa
Syria's new de facto ruler and leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) received an EU delegation led by German Foreign Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday.
Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted the ministers in the former palace of toppled long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in the capital Damascus. Al-Sharaa's HTS led a coalition of armed groups who drove al-Assad from power around four weeks ago.
Al-Sharaa received Baerbock and Barrot at the entrance to the palace. The hard-line Islamist did not greet Baerbock with a handshake, a ge...