Germany’s Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, is visiting the Syrian capital Damascus today, Thursday, 30 October, in his first official trip to Syria since taking office on 6 May.

The visit is part of Wadephul’s tour of the Middle East. On 29 October, he visited Jordan and met with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi.

In a statement published by the German Information Center of the Foreign Ministry, Wadephul said, “People in Syria have embarked on a new era. We now want to support them in taking their future into their own hands.”

According to Wadephul, Syria faces immense challenges and needs “a government that guarantees all citizens, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, or social background, a life of dignity and security.”

He considered this the basic prerequisite for laying the foundation for a free, safe, and stable Syria, adding, “I will emphasize this during my talks there.”

The minister said Germany is contributing to this foundation through the following:

• Lifting all economic sanctions imposed on Syria, which Berlin pushed for early and decisively at the European level.
• Humanitarian assistance.
• Support for mine and ordnance clearance.
• A rapid expansion of the German Embassy’s operations in Syria.
• Investments in the Syrian economy that German companies are keen to carry out.

Wadephul argued that stabilizing Syria is in Germany’s interest, which is why “we want Syria’s economy to get back on its feet as soon as possible.”

He noted that Syria lies in the immediate neighborhood of the European Union, and everything that happens there has direct and indirect effects in Germany.

Berlin–Damascus relations

On 26 September, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani met German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Since the fall of the former regime, Germany has led a European outreach to Damascus. Former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock visited Damascus twice, and Germany was among the first European countries to reopen its embassy in Damascus on 20 March.

Baerbock met Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, twice, once alongside French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and once with Armin Laschet, Vice President of the European Parliament.

Following her meeting with al-Sharaa, Baerbock pledged at a press conference in Damascus attended by Enab Baladi that Berlin would provide 300 million euros as part of Germany’s efforts to achieve economic stabilization in Syria.

Germany’s Interior Ministry is also preparing a regulation that would allow Syrians holding protection status to visit their country of origin without risking the loss of that status.

According to the Central Register of Foreigners, the number of Syrians residing in Germany reached 968,899 by the end of March. Between 2015 and 2023, 163,170 Syrians acquired German citizenship.