Syrian President al-Sharaa received by Germany's Steinmeier in Berlin

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa was received by his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Berlin's Bellevue Palace on Monday ahead of talks with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The visit has been met with protests in the German capital, with several demonstrations expected to draw up to 5,000 participants.

Al-Sharaa's talks with Merz are set to focus on the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and reconstruction efforts after years of civil war.

"Our interest is in seeing Syria rebuilt as a stable and prosperous nation, including with the help of the many, many Syrians who came here to Germany and Europe during the civil war and found refuge here," government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said ahead of the visit.

Al-Sharaa is also due to meet business leaders during his stay.

The Syrian president postponed a planned trip to Germany in January after a surge of violence in his country.

Al-Sharaa led the Islamist militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in overthrowing Syria's long-time authoritarian ruler Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024 after almost 14 years of civil war.

He was subsequently appointed interim president and has since been steering Syria towards a rapprochement with the West.