Syria and Germany first established diplomatic relations in 1952. During the 13-year-long Syrian civil war from 2011 to 2024, Germany continued to support the Syrian people, provided humanitarian assistance, backed the political process led by the United Nations, admitted more than one million Syrians to live in Germany, and supported the civil society opposition activists who remained in Syria. The German Embassy in Damascus was reopened in March 2025, following the fall of the Assad regime. The Syrian Consulate General in Bonn was officially opened on 12 February 2026 by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hasan al-Shaybani.

Germany plays a key role in bringing stability to Syria, above all in the north-east of the country, in areas that were previously under IS control. Germany is part of the Global Coalition against Daesh, and works with numerous partners to provide stabilisation assistance and deradicalisation support, and to assist with the return of internally displaced persons and their reintegration in their former hometowns. Germany is one of the biggest donors of aid for Syria. In 2025, we provided approximately 120 million euro of humanitarian assistance country-wide for Syria, including 7 million euro for demining and ordnance clearance. Stabilisation is a key focus of Germany’s contribution, which encompasses assistance for the fight against IS, support for the political transition, and the investigation of crimes committed during the Syrian civil war and before by the Assad regime. Germany also supports Syrian civil society with the aim of peacebuilding at community level.

Since the start of the civil war, bilateral trade between Germany and Syria has been minimal, mainly because of the economic sanctions imposed during the war by the EU and the United States: in 2024, trade in goods totalled 42 million euro from Germany to Syria and 16 million euro from Syria to Germany; trade in services totalled 3 million euro from Germany to Syria, and 17 million euro from Syria to Germany. The EU’s economic sanctions against Syria were lifted in May 2025, with the exception of those based on security grounds and trade in Syrian cultural heritage items. The US, the UK and other countries have also lifted their sanctions against Syria in their entirety, or have relaxed them considerably.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Germany is resuming the full breadth of its cultural and civil society relations with Syria. In March 2025, a delegation led by the Federal Foreign Office, including members from the Goethe-Institut, the German Archaeological Institute, the German Academic Exchange Service and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, visited the country. The Federal Foreign Office and the above-mentioned cultural organisations have already started to foster exchange and support, above all as regards protection of cultural heritage, training for journalists, and science and education.