German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke about the situation that became the subject of media discussions – the moment when Syrian de-facto leader Ahmed Hussein al-Shara did not shake Baerbock’s hand, while he did so to his French colleague Jean-Noël Barrot, during their recent visit Syria.
This meeting was the first official arrival of representatives of the European Union in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Baerbock explained that she was already aware during the preparations for the trip that the traditional handshake would not be customary, and that she was not surprised by the behavior of the Syrian leader.
“It was clear to me that there would be no usual handshake here. Apart from me, not even the French Minister of Foreign Affairs expected anything different,” said Baerbock.
A video posted on social media shows the moment Barrot, who initially extended his hand, soon abandons the gestural signal, following the diplomatic norms that were clearly at play.
Barrot later said on Platform X that they received “guarantees from the Syrian authorities about the broad participation, especially of women, in the political process” expected in the country.
The handshake incident has drawn comparisons to the previous “Sofagate” scandal in 2021, when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was kicked out of her leadership post during a visit to Turkey, which she later called “sexism”.
(Vijesti.ba)
