After a visit by the foreign ministers of the two Western countries to Damascus on Friday, Germany and France declared that the fighting in the Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria should be stopped and the security interests of the Kurds should be protected.
After a visit by the foreign ministers of the two Western countries to Damascus on Friday, Germany and France declared that the fighting in the Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria should be stopped and the security interests of the Kurds should be protected.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in Damascus on Friday for a series of meetings, including with the country’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
“They reaffirmed the need to end the fighting in northern Syria and find a solution that protects the security interests of everyone, including our Kurdish partners in the Syrian Democratic Forces, with whom we are fighting against Daesh,” the Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement.
The two ministers independently reaffirmed their support for the Kurds and stated that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) should be integrated into the new security apparatus in Syria.
“The security of the Kurds is also crucial for a peaceful Syria,” Baerbock told reporters.
Her French counterpart said that “a political solution must be found with France’s allies, the Kurds, so that they can fully participate in the political process that begins today.”
Sharaa is the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led a coalition of rebel groups that overthrew the previous regime and installed a transitional government. HTS has Islamist-jihadist roots, and there is concern about how this ideology will be reflected in the new Syria, especially among the country’s minority.
Sharaa also described the Kurds as an “integral part” of Syrian society.
Hewlêr (Rûdaw)