Since ousting Assad, Syria’s new rulers have sought to reassure Arab countries and the international community that they will govern on behalf of all Syrians and not export Islamist revolution.
Western governments have begun to gradually open channels with Sharaa and HTS, a Sunni Muslim group previously affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and are starting to debate whether to remove the group’s terrorist designation.
A host of questions remain about the future of a multi-ethnic country where foreign states including Turkey and Russia have strong and potentially competing interests.
OUTSTRETCHED HAND
Baerbock said she was travelling to Syria with an “outstretched hand” as well as “clear expectations” of the new rulers, who she said would be judged by their actions.
“We know where the HTS comes from ideologically, what it has done in the past,” said Baerbock in a statement ahead of the trip, adding that a new beginning to relations could only happen if there is no place for extremism and radical groups.
“But we also hear and see the desire for moderation and for understanding with other important actors,” she added, citing talks with US-allied Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces.
The goal now is for Syria to once again become a respected member of the international community, she said, which also lies in Europe’s security interests.