Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are hosting Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Berlin on his first visit to Germany. The talks focus on repatriation of Syrian refugees and reconstruction of the civil war-torn country. Protests are planned in Berlin at the same time.
In Berlin, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are meeting Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa. This marks al-Sharaa’s first official visit to Germany. The meeting was originally scheduled for January but postponed due to renewed violence in Syria.
The discussions center on repatriating Syrian refugees and rebuilding the country. About 940,000 Syrian nationals currently live in Germany. The UN states that around 90 percent of Syria’s population lives in poverty, while the World Bank estimates reconstruction costs at over 200 billion dollars.
A meeting with German business representatives is also planned. Al-Sharaa, former leader of the Islamist militant group HTS, has been seeking to restore ties with Western states since taking office.
Authorities expect several protests in Berlin with thousands attending. Germany’s Kurdish community is urging the federal government to commit to protecting minority groups. This relates to allegations of human rights violations and war crimes against al-Sharaa. Syria’s situation remains unstable.
