Syrian leader does not shake hands with German foreign minister, what does French foreign minister say?

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke out about Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa not shaking hands when receiving German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Mr. al-Sharaa (right) received Mr. Barrot and Ms. Baerbock in Damascus on January 3.

AFP news agency on January 5 quoted French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot as saying he wanted Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to shake hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during his visit to Damascus last week, although he stressed that that was not the purpose of the trip.

Mr. Barrot and Mr. Baerbock on January 3 became the most senior Western figures to visit the Syrian capital since opposition-led military forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last month.

But their meeting with Mr al-Sharaa was controversial because the Muslim leader shook hands with Mr Barrot but not Ms Baerbock. Instead, Mr al-Sharaa placed his hand on his chest to greet her.

According to The New Arab , Mr. Barrot initially placed his hand on his chest, but then shook hands when Mr. al-Sharaa extended his hand.

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Some strict Islamic beliefs prohibit any physical contact between people of the opposite sex unless they are married or closely related.

The development has been met with reactions from some netizens who expressed concerns about future regulations in Syria, while others said that al-Sharaa was free to choose whether or not to shake hands with women, and that not shaking hands was not an act of disrespect.

"Do I expect Mr. Ahmed al-Sharaa to shake hands with my German colleague? The answer is yes. Is that the purpose of this trip? The answer is no," Foreign Minister Barrot shared after the visit.

He pointed to issues including the fate of tens of thousands of Islamic State (IS) members held in Syria and the risk of spreading Mr al-Assad's chemical weapons arsenal.

“If I don’t go to Syria, who will protect the French people from these threats, from their safety?” he asked.

"We are talking to the transitional authorities to give them very clear and very firm messages about our expectations in terms of a political transition so that Syria can recover," the diplomat said.

After a decade of Iran and Russia supporting the al-Assad regime in Syria's civil war, Barrot said it was important that no foreign power took advantage of regime change to weaken Syria. "The future of Syria belongs to the Syrian people," he added.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lanh-dao-syria-khong-bat-tay-nu-ngoai-truong-duc-ngoai-truong-phap-noi-gi-185250106084403619.htm