German chancellor to welcome Syria’s president for first official trip

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to host Syrian President Ahmad al-Shaara in Berlin in two weeks, Euractiv has learned.

It will mark al-Shaara’s first official visit to Germany since assuming power following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

Al-Shaara, a former rebel commander who rose to the presidency after years of conflict, has already held talks with US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Germany, however, remains the only major Western capital he has not yet visited.

The invitation from Merz was issued last year amid a contentious national debate over the possible repatriation of Syrian nationals residing in Germany. Following a trip to Damascus in late October, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul cautioned that large-scale returns were unrealistic due to the extensive destruction across Syria and the fragile security environment. Merz later took a harder line, declaring that returns would move forward, arguing that “the civil war in Syria is over” and that the grounds for asylum in Germany no longer existed.

Germany hosts roughly one million Syrians and admitted more refugees during the conflict than any other EU member state. Only a small proportion have gone back, as living conditions in Syria remain extremely difficult. Large swathes of the country are devastated, risks from mines and unexploded ordnance persist, and violence continues in certain regions, particularly the northeast. In Aleppo, Kurdish-dominated SDF militias recently clashed again with government-aligned security forces, breaching an agreement with Damascus.

Beyond the contentious issue of returns, the Berlin meeting is expected to concentrate heavily on reconstruction financing after 14 years of war. Expanded involvement by Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) is also on the agenda.

On January 9, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are set to travel to Damascus for their first mission to Syria since the change in government. Ahead of their arrival, Syria’s Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, Raed al-Saleh, told Euractiv that the country requires European technical expertise, not only financial assistance, to support the post-war recovery effort.

By Tamilla Hasanova