NNA - The foreign ministers of Germany and France said they wanted to forge a new relationship with Syria and urged a peaceful transition as they visited Damascus on Friday meet its de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on behalf of the European Union.

Germany's Annalena Baerbock and France's Jean-Noel Barrot are the first ministers from the EU to visit Syria since rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8 and forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family's decades-long rule.

"My trip today...is a clear signal to the Syrians: A new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria, is possible," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said before she left for Damascus.

Barrot expressed his hope "for a sovereign, stable and peaceful Syria" after arriving in Damascus, where he also visited the French embassy, which has been closed since 2012.

Since ousting Assad, Islamist rebels led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have sought to reassure Arab countries and the international community that they will govern on behalf of all Syrians and not export Islamist revolution.--Reuters

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