German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a phone conversation with the Syrian transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in which he congratulated the Syrians on the end of the Assad regime.
A spokesperson for the German government stated that the Chancellor expressed Germany’s readiness to support the rebuilding of Syria during the phone call held between the two sides on Friday, February 7.
During a one-hour phone call, Scholz congratulated the Syrian people on their success in ending the Assad regime and agreed with al-Sharaa on the need for an inclusive political process that allows all Syrians to participate and ensures rights and protection, according to a statement from the German government spokesperson reported by Reuters.
The spokesperson added that “the German Chancellor confirmed the continuing importance of combating terrorism for security in Syria, the region, and the world.”
This official conversation between Germany and Syria is the first of its kind after more than ten years of estrangement due to the unified Western stance against the ousted Syrian regime, based on severing relations due to human rights violations in Syria.
The conversation between al-Sharaa and Scholz came days after French President Emmanuel Macron invited al-Sharaa to visit France in the coming weeks.
This occurred during a phone call made by Macron on February 5, in which he congratulated al-Sharaa on assuming the presidency and “liberating” Syria from the previous regime.
On January 27, EU foreign ministers agreed on a roadmap to ease European sanctions on Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, stated after a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, “While we aim to move quickly, sanctions relief could be reversed if wrong steps are taken.”
The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, had previously stated that the easing of sanctions would apply to the energy, transport, and financial sectors.
The last international visit made by transitional Syrian president al-Sharaa was to the Turkish capital Ankara on February 4.
During that visit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for material and moral support for Syria from the Arab and Islamic world and the lifting of sanctions imposed on it, which was preceded by a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.