BERLIN: German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday told Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa that Berlin was ready to support the transition to a "free and safe" future after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
Scholz expressed Berlin's "willingness to support the reconstruction of Syria so that Syria can become a free and safe home for all", in an hour-long conversation with Sharaa, the chancellor's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.
In his first call with the new Syrian leader, Scholz "congratulated the Syrian people on their success in ending the Assad regime's reign of terror".
Sharaa was appointed as Syria's interim president at the end of January after Islamist-led rebel forces toppled Assad, ending more than five decades of the family's iron-fisted rule.
Scholz told the new Syrian leader he needed to lead a "inclusive political process... that allows all Syrians, regardless of their ethnic or religious group to participate".
The chancellor also stressed "the ongoing importance of the fight against terrorism for security in Syria", according to the statement.
Germany would work together with European and international partners in this regard, Scholz said.
Sharaa has made a push to rebuild Syria's diplomatic ties since his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) spearheaded the overthrow of Assad.
But the country faces a difficult transition amid unresolved territorial and governance challenges.
Armed forces in the south, including from the Druze minority, have responded cautiously to the new authority in Damascus, while Kurdish forces in the north and northeast have continued to battle pro-Turkey fighters.
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