Syria
Annalena Baerbock addressing journalists after meeting China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Photo: Jade Gao/AFP
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany's foreign minister said on Tuesday that the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a crucial step towards achieving a unified Syria and that the killing of civilians is a crime that must be investigated.
“The integration of Syrian Kurds and their forces into state structures is a crucial step toward a unified Syria and the political participation of all population groups,” Annalena Baerbock wrote on X, adding that “together with our partners, we have worked towards this goal in recent weeks.”
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi signed a landmark agreement on Monday to integrate the SDF into Syria's state institutions.
After a meeting between Sharaa and Abdi, an agreement was reached to “integrate all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria [Rojava] under the administration of the Syrian state, including border crossings, the [Qamishli International] Airport, and oil and gas fields,” read a statement by the Syrian Presidency.
The German foreign minister also touched on the recent violence that broke out in the Alawite-majority coastal areas of western Syria after loyalists of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad on Thursday launched attacks on security forces affiliated with the new Syrian leadership.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Monday reported that around 1,500 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the violence. At least 973 of those killed are civilians, many of whom are from the Alawite community to which Assad belongs, the UK-based war monitor reported. Most of the casualties were caused by government or government-affiliated forces, SOHR elaborated.
“Every day, we see what is at stake in Syria. The targeted killing of hundreds of civilians is a crime that must be fully investigated and prosecuted. A peaceful Syria can only exist if all Syrians live in equality and security,” Baerbock added.
At the heels of the deadly violence, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday ordered the formation of an “independent national committee” to "identify the causes, circumstances, and details” behind the deadly clashes. The committee is expected to submit “its report to the presidency within a maximum of 30 days,” according to a Sunday statement by the Syrian presidency.
Sharaa also pledged to form another high-level committee to “preserve civil peace” and engage with the people in the affected areas.
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