German minister says 'historic opportunity' to support new Syria

Germany's Development Minister Svenja Schulze promised to support Syria's "peaceful and stable development" as she visited Damascus on Wednesday to meet with the interim authorities.

"After over 50 years of dictatorship and 14 years of civil war, Syria now has the chance of peaceful and stable development," Schulze said in a statement.

Her visit comes a little over a month after Islamist-led forces toppled longtime president Bashar al-Assad.

Schulze is due to meet with the new leadership as well as aid organisations "to identify how Germany can support the development of a peaceful, stable and inclusive Syria", the minister's statement said.

"It would be wrong of us not to use this historic window of opportunity to support Syria in embarking on a peaceful new beginning," she said.

"Germany can do a lot to support the new beginning for... Syrian society".

Germany is home to Europe's largest Syrian diaspora community, having taken in nearly a million people from the war-ravaged country.

A German study last month said that if they returned home, Germany could face labour shortages, particularly in the healthcare industry.

Schulze announced that Berlin was expanding an international hospital partnerships programme to include facilities in Syria.

The expansion is part of reconstruction efforts but also aims at retaining "vital" medical professionals in Germany, according to the statement.

Schulze said that while "Syria's new rulers are keen to regain the skilled workers and professionals who fled the country" during the civil war since 2011, "Germany also has an interest in retaining them".

Under the expanded programme, "doctors from Germany can visit Syria to conduct medical training courses or to train their Syrian colleagues in using new equipment," the minister said.

"And Syrian doctors can come to Germany for training on both medical and organisational issues."

Syria has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity since Assad's fall on December 8, with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also travelling to Damascus earlier this month.