Syria's President al-Sharaa to visit Berlin on Monday

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Berlin this Monday, after postponing a planned trip in January due to a surge in violence in his country, German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Friday.

Al-Sharaa will meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz and take part in a round-table discussion with business leaders, he said.

The main topics are expected to include the return of Syrian refugees and the reconstruction of the country, which has been devastated by years of civil war.

Merz initially invited al-Sharaa to Germany in November, and the January visit was cancelled amid escalating violence in Syria.

Syria's previous long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in late 2024 by a rebellion led by al-Sharaa's Islamist HTS militia.

He was appointed transitional president in January 2025 and has since been steering the country towards closer ties with the West.