Lebanon: A country between crisis and resilience

Foreign Minister Baerbock first travelled to the Lebanese capital of Beirut for political talks on 19 March before travelling on to Damascus on 20 March. For years, Lebanon has been rocked by political and economic crises – which have been met with impressive and even greater resilience by the local population. Foreign Minister Baerbock used her visit for political talks. After years of deadlock, the election of Joseph Aoun to the Presidency at the beginning of this year has opened the door for urgently needed reforms. Moreover, the new government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who has ambitious reform plans for the country, gives the Lebanese people justified hope for a fresh start. For this hope not to be undermined but rather used to guide the country to political and economic stability, Germany intends to continue providing support. With the most religiously diverse society of any state in the Middle East, stability in Lebanon would send a strong signal throughout the region.

Syria: Peace thanks to political participation for all

As Lebanon’s neighbours, millions of Syrians share this hope for stability; their country longs for peace and security after having lived through fourteen years of civil war and an even longer period of dictatorship under the Assad family. In Damascus, Foreign Minister Baerbock will hold talks with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani, as well as with members of civil society. Not least the terrible massacre of hundreds of people, many of them Alawites, demonstrates how urgent it is to take concrete steps towards political inclusion – for all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity, religion or gender. The transitional government in Syria must urgently hold to account those responsible.

This is why Foreign Minister Baerbock also spoke with the families of civilians who were brutally killed in Syria’s western coastal region, and why she had what is now a second meeting with members of the Syrian Civil Defence, who are also known as the White Helmets. The White Helmets organisation provides humanitarian assistance and even during the civil war its members risked their own lives to help save tens of thousands of people. Foreign Minister Baerbock’s discussions in Syria focused on the state of efforts towards achieving an effective transitional justice system. For the country to find peace, it is absolutely essential for the crimes committed under the Assad regime to be prosecuted. The Minister’s agenda also includes meetings with women’s and human rights activists. After all, only if all population groups are involved in the national transition process will it be possible for Syria to enjoy peace in the long term.

Electricity for Syria’s transition

Reconstruction and economic opportunities are the basis for future stability. This is nothing short of a mammoth task. Compared to electric power capacity prior to the civil war, people in Syria today have available only some 20 percent. For Damascus, this means that the electricity is on only for around two hours per day. Getting the country reconnected to the power grid and improving the energy supply is an important step along the path to economic reconstruction. To support the country on all levels as it moves forward, the Federal Foreign Office again has staff members in Damascus who took up their posts at the beginning of the year. Foreign Minister Baerbock will officially open the German Embassy there during her visit, although its operational capacity will remain very limited for quite some time.

“Sham” – a historic name that describes Damascus and the region as a place to be yearned for – has today also become a place of yearning for peace. Baerbock’s second visit to Damascus is also a sign of our hope that the country can succeed in its transition and open a new chapter in which we accompany Syria from its traumatic past into a better future.