German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has linked support for Syria to how the new authorities will handle women's rights, Report informs via Die Welt publication.
"If women in Syria are not safe, then millions of well-educated men and women, who are so needed, will never return home from abroad to rebuild the country," she told journalists.
According to the foreign minister, during her visit to Syria, she made it more than clear to the new state authorities that the country would not receive financial support from the European Union if women's rights are suppressed.
On January 3, she went with her French colleague Jean-Noël Barrot on an unannounced visit to Syria. In Damascus, they held negotiations with the head of the new local administration, Ahmed Al-Sharaa (better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani). During the meeting, representatives of the new Syrian administration refused to shake hands with Baerbock.