Photos of German Foreign Minister Were Not Blurred During Meeting With New Syrian Authorities
The Claim
Photos with a blurred image of Baerbock were published on resources associated with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
News posted on
Emerging story
Photos have been circulating of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock meeting in Syria with its de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa (known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani), and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. In the photos shared online, Baerbock is blurred, along with two other women.
NEXTA shared the blurred photos, stating: 'Photos with a blurred image of Baerbock were published on resources associated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).' The images of the other women present at the meeting were also blurred, presumably two female translators."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading.
Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Publishes Unblurred Photos of Baerbock at Damascus Meeting
On Friday, January 3, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot met in Damascus with Syria's new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of the political and paramilitary organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani.
At 5:26 p.m. on January 3, the official X account of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates published photos of the meeting. In these images, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the other women present at the meeting were not blurred.
About an hour later, the Telegram channel “Free Syria News Network” shared the same photos, but in these versions, all the women in the images were blurred.
The channel, which presents itself as a news network, appears to be based in Istanbul, Turkey, according to its Facebook profile. However, there is currently no evidence of any links to the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham organization.
Additionally, Misbar reviewed previous posts on the channel’s Facebook page and found content unrelated to news reporting.
Western Governments Consider Lifting Syria Sanctions
The meeting took place amid growing signs of a shift by Western governments toward the paramilitary organization Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which led the rebellion against Assad.
The talks focused on the possibility of the European Union lifting sanctions imposed on Syria, which, according to German Foreign Minister Baerbock, depends on political progress moving forward. On X, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the goal is "to promote a peaceful and challenging transition for the benefit of Syrians and for regional stability."
Additionally, Baerbock stated that the trip to Damascus aimed "to discuss whether such an inclusive political process is possible and whether human rights can truly be guaranteed. The entire question of lifting sanctions is tied to this."
Sanctions on Syria date back to 1979, when the United States designated the country as a sponsor of terrorism. After the start of the civil war in 2011, the European Union imposed sanctions on the regime of Bashar al-Assad and sectors of the economy benefiting from it. These sanctions, along with those imposed after the introduction of the Caesar Act by the U.S. government in 2019, have made Syria one of the most sanctioned countries in the world.
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