French, German Foreign Ministers Meet Syria’s ‘New Leader’ Al-Sharaa in Damascus

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock said they wanted to forge a new relationship with Syria. They called for a peaceful political transition as they met Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday. The German and French foreign ministers told the de-facto ruler of Syria, HTS emir, Mohammed al Jolani, that the EU will not lift sanctions and fund reconstruction “until a truly diverse & representative political structure is formed”.   French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock were in the Syrian capital for talks on behalf of…