Germany’s Baerbock denied handshake by Syrian leader – again (VIDEO)

A similarly awkward scene took place when the German foreign minister visited Damascus in January

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has been denied a handshake by Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa during their latest meeting in Damascus.

A video from the talks on Thursday has captured al-Sharaa avoiding physical contact with the foreign dignitary and simply pointing her to her chair with his hand.

A similarly awkward scene happened during Baerbock’s first trip to the Syrian capital together with her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in early January. At the time, al-Sharaa shook hands with Barrot, but explicitly avoided doing the same with Germany’s top diplomat, placing his right hand on his heart instead.

Baerbock noted at the time that the new Syrian leader’s behavior did not surprise her at all, saying that “as I traveled here, it was clear to me that there would obviously be no ordinary handshakes.”

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