Germany German embassy in Syria reopens after 13 years
A good three months after the fall of Syria's long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad, Germany once again has an embassy in Syria. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock opened the representation, which was closed in 2012 after the start of the civil war, during her visit to the capital Damascus. A low single-digit number of German diplomats are now to work on the ground to help stabilize and rebuild the heavily destroyed country. However, as not all security measures have been completed yet, the Green politician said that work would also be carried out from other locations.
20.03.2025, 09:21
SDA
Baerbock wants a new start with Syria
Baerbock had already promised the Syrians continued humanitarian aid and a further easing of sanctions before their arrival in Damascus - but only under certain conditions. "A new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria is possible," said the outgoing minister. "But this is also linked to clear expectations that freedom, security and opportunities in Syria apply to all people - to women and men, to members of all ethnicities and religions."
In December, Syria's long-term ruler Assad was overthrown by a rebel alliance led by the Islamist group Halat Tahrir al-Sham after almost 14 years of civil war. The country is now being led by a transitional government headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, but it is not yet clear where it is heading. Just two weeks ago, a military operation against Assad supporters in the coastal region in the north-west of the country left hundreds dead and caused renewed mistrust.
A Syrian janitor held the fort
The German embassy in Damascus used to employ 25 to 30 seconded diplomats and around 20 local employees. It was therefore a medium-sized foreign mission. It was closed in 2012 for security reasons and has stood empty ever since. When Baerbock visited the building on her first visit to Damascus after the fall of Assad in January, a picture of former German President Christian Wulff (in office from 2010 to 2012) was still hanging on the wall. In recent years, the building has been looked after by a local employee who has been working for the embassy for 26 years.
The embassy will now initially be headed by diplomat Stefan Schneck, who will then act as chargé d'affaires. An ambassador will be appointed at a later date.
Visas will continue to be issued from Beirut
According to the Federal Foreign Office, the local presence will make it possible, for example, to better maintain the important contact with civil society and react directly and immediately to serious undesirable developments. As in previous years, visas will be issued by the embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
The current embassy building can currently only be used occasionally for talks. Day-to-day business takes place at a different location, which is being kept secret for security reasons. It remains to be seen whether the embassy can be used in its entirety again at some point.
This also depends on the further development of the situation in Syria. The country is far from peaceful. At the beginning of the month, armed supporters of the ousted Assad government attacked security forces, to which the transitional government responded with a major military operation. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, around 1,500 people are said to have been killed, the majority of them civilians.
The transitional government saw the outbreak of violence as an attempt by Assad loyalists to plunge the country into a new civil war. The target of the military action is said to have been predominantly Alevis, a religious community to which Assad also belongs. The Observatory spoke of outright "massacres".
Baerbock speaks of a "terrible crime"
Baerbock called the targeted killing of civilians a "terrible crime" and called on the transitional government to hold those responsible to account. At the same time, she called for the Assad crimes to be investigated. "Bringing peace to the country, continuing to fight the seeds of extremism and terrorism, resolutely driving forward the political transition and quickly offering people economic prospects - that is the mammoth task facing the Syrian transitional government under Ahmed al-Sharaa," she said.
