BERLIN: Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday as he began a visit to Berlin for talks on the Middle East war, rebuilding his country and the return of refugees.
Sharaa -- on his first trip to Germany since ousting his country's longtime leader, Bashar al-Assad, in late 2024 -- was also due to meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Europe's top economy is home to the largest Syrian diaspora in the European Union at more than a million, many of whom arrived during the peak of the migrant influx in 2015-16.
Sharaa, 43, a former Islamist rebel leader, has managed to build relations with Western governments and made several overseas trips, including to the United States, France and Russia.
As a result, many international sanctions on Syria have been lifted to help the country rebuild after a bloody 14-year civil war.
"We want to put this difficult time behind us and now catch up with the rest of the world," Sharaa told a foreign ministry forum in Berlin, according to the German translation of his speech.
He pointed to investment opportunities in Syria's energy, transport and tourism sectors, describing his homeland as very diverse and with "a great wealth of people".
"We stand with Syria," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, pledging to support reconstruction efforts. "The Syrians deserve a chance, and we want to help ensure that this opportunity is well utilised."
Sharaa also suggested that he would like to see some of the Syrians who fled to Germany return to help with reconstruction.
"These are Syrians who have studied at German universities, acquired German expertise, and are now working in German companies," he said. "Through investments in Syria, they can then bring this expertise back to Syria."
Demonstrations planned
Rights campaigners have criticised the visit, pointing to Sharaa's Islamist past and Syria's ongoing violence and instability.
Large demonstrations were planned in Berlin both in support of Sharaa and in protest at his trip on Monday, according to police, with "several thousand" expected to take part.
One rally has been registered under the motto "No deportation deals with human rights abusers".
Merz, a conservative who took power last May, has stepped up efforts to curb irregular immigration as he seeks to counter the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Merz said last year that, with Syria's civil war over, people from that country now have "no grounds for asylum in Germany".
The government in December resumed deporting convicted criminals to Syria, though only a handful of cases have gone ahead so far.
Merz also said he assumed many Syrians would return home voluntarily, drawing criticism from campaign groups that cite continued instability and rights abuses in Syria.
'Expressly wrong'
Since Sharaa has been in power, sectarian tensions have continued to cause repeated bloodshed, while the Islamic State group remains active.
After Assad's overthrow, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarised zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions.
Sharaa was initially planning to visit Germany in January, but the trip was postponed as he sought to end fighting between government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in his country's north.
KGD, a group that represents the Kurdish community in Germany, charged that Sharaa "bears responsibility for numerous human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity".
"Back in January, together with other civil society organisations, we had already voiced strong criticism of the planned visit and called for protests," said Ali Ertan Toprak, chairman of the group.
"Despite these objections, the German government has so far stood by the invitation. We consider this to be expressly wrong."
