German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart  Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in Damascus on Friday for a range of meetings, including with the country’s new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. 

“They reiterated the need to end the fighting in northern Syria and find a solution that preserves the security interests of all, including our Kurdish partners in the Syrian Democratic Forces alongside whom we are fighting Daesh,” read a joint statement from the foreign ministries. 

The two ministers separately reiterated their support for Kurds, saying the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) should be merged into the new security apparatus in Syria. 

“The security of the Kurds is also essential for peaceful Syria,” Baerbock told reporters. 

Her French counterpart said “a political solution must be found with France's allies, who are the Kurds, so that they can fully participate in this political process that begins today.”

Sharaa is the head of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led a coalition of rebel groups that ousted the former regime and installed a transitional government. HTS has Islamic jihadist roots and there are concerns about how that ideology will be reflected in the new Syria, especially among the country’s minority populations.

Sharaa also called Kurds an “integral part” of Syrian society.