The French flag was raised at the embassy in Damascus on Tuesday, a symbolic gesture from Paris that confirmed a top diplomat arrived in Syria for the first time in 12 years to hold talks with the country’s new administration.
The European Union announced it plans to reopen its office in Damascus following “constructive first contacts” between an envoy and Syria’s new representatives, the bloc’s top diplomat said.
After talks in Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU also wants to “enhance our engagement in early recovery, including basic services like electricity and water and infrastructure.”
British diplomats have also met the leader of the militant group that toppled Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
Photographs posted by the group on social media showed senior officials, including the U.K. special representative for Syria, Ann Snow, meeting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Mohammed al-Golani, in Damascus on Monday.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed Monday that Britain had sent “a delegation of senior U.K. officials to Damascus this week for meetings with the new Syrian authorities and members of civil society groups.”
Britain, along with the U.S. and other countries, classifies HTS, a former al-Qaida affiliate, as a terrorist organization.
U.K. officials have suggested they may reconsider that designation, but have not given a timeline. They say British officials can still talk to HTS in the meantime.
Germany, that has been a leading destination for Syrian refugees over the past decade, also confirmed that its diplomats will hold their first talks with the new Syrian government.
The Foreign Ministry in Berlin said the talks will center on an “inclusive transition process” in Syria and the protection of minorities.
The German delegation also plans to sound out the possibility of a German diplomatic presence in Damascus, and will meet representatives of Christian communities among others.
The U.S. has already said that its officials have been in direct contact with HTS.
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