French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock arrived in Damascus on Friday morning.

They are the first top Western diplomats to meet Syria's de facto leader, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Bashar al-Assad was ousted on December 8 by rebels led by the Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). 

In a statement issued before leaving for Damascus on Friday, Baerbock said her visit was "a clear signal" – on behalf of the EU – to open the way for a "new political beginning between Europe and Syria, between Germany and Syria".