German embassy reopens in Syria after 13 years

The German embassy has reopened in Syria after nearly 13 years, following the closure of its mission in Damascus when former president Bashar al-Assad violently suppressed a popular uprising, triggering a brutal civil war, The National reports on March 20th.

The embassy’s reopening comes three months after Mr al-Assad was ousted from power by a coalition of rebels, led by his recently appointed successor, Ahmad al-Sahara, in a lightning offensive that ended more than 50 years of Assad family rule in Syria.

This shift occurs despite ongoing violence on the Syrian coast, in the heartland of the Alawite minority to which Mr Assad belongs, as forces aligned with the new government battle loyalists of the old regime.

Hundreds of people have been killed, most of them Alawites, according to monitoring groups such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The German embassy was reopened in Syria by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, marking her second visit to the Syrian capital since Mr al-Assad’s ousting on December 8.

Baerbock stated that she would use her trip to convey that a “fresh start” in relations between Europe, Germany, and Syria would be conditional upon all Syrians enjoying freedom and security, regardless of their faith, gender, or ethnicity.

Baerbock noted that the recent surge in violence had severely undermined trust in Syrian authorities, with the population “scared that life in the future Syria will not be safe for all Syrians.”

She warned that the recent bouts of violence had caused a massive loss of confidence in the country’s future stability.

In mid-December, the EU said it would reopen its mission in Syria to work with the country’s new leaders, as reported by The National.

In January, Hungary, an EU member, announced it would reopen its embassy in Damascus.

Turkey, a key backer of the rebels-turned-rulers, and Qatar were among the first nations to resume their diplomatic missions in the Syrian capital in mid-December. Spain followed suit, reopening its embassy in January as well.

These moves reflect a broader trend of nations reassessing their diplomatic relations with Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The National