Overview
- Ahmed al‑Scharaa arrives Monday for a two‑day visit, with meetings Tuesday at Schloss Bellevue with President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier and at the Chancellery with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, followed by a joint press conference and a business roundtable.
- The government says talks will cover refugee returns, economic ties and human rights, with Syria’s foreign minister also meeting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to discuss an inclusive political transition.
- Kurds, Alawites, Druze, Alevi, Yazidi and other groups plan demonstrations in Berlin accusing the new authorities of abuses, and police expect large deployments for protests near the Chancellery.
- Recent fighting in and around Aleppo has displaced thousands, with officials citing about 4,000 people fleeing Deir Hafir and Maskana as government forces took control of formerly Kurdish‑held districts and announced a short‑lived humanitarian corridor.
- Kurdish self‑administration officials allege government forces and allied militias carried out mass‑casualty attacks in Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo, claims reported by media but not independently verified, as Germany weighs engagement with a leader who once headed HTS.