A sensation has been caused in Germany by the choice of Syrian strongman Ahmed al-Sara not to shake hands with Foreign Minister Analena Berbock (Greens). Ms Burbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barot were the first European foreign ministers to travel to Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.

“When I arrived in Syria, it was already clear to me that there would not be the usual handshakes, but it was equally clear that both I and the French foreign minister did not share that view,” Ms Burbock told reporters in Damascus. Already during her reception at the airport, the two men of etiquette did not shake her hand. Later, during the meeting at the former presidential palace, instead of shaking hands, Ahmed al-Sara put his hand on his chest as a sign of respect, and immediately after, he turned it towards Mr. Baro in a – very loose – handshake. Sources in the German delegation, however, told German media that Syria’s new leader shook hands with Mrs Burbock at the end of their meeting.

Together with Jean-Noël Barot, “we made it very clear that the issue of women’s rights is not only about women’s rights, but is a measure of how free a society is. It was therefore important for us to make it clear that as the European Union we are ready to do everything we can to ensure that people in Syria can finally live freely again. We talked about this issue at length and very clearly. And at the end a handshake may not seem as difficult as it did at the beginning of the conversation,” said Ms. Burbock.

Commenting on the issue, Economy Minister Robert Hambeck (Greens) said that “it is significant that Analena Burbock was the first EU foreign minister to travel to Syria. With this strong message of the European foreign policy, one makes clear one’s support for the country”, said Mr. Habek to BILD and emphasized that “if we met only with governments with which our views are identified, we would be almost alone”.