German diplomats' meeting with members of the Syrian interim government was a good opportunity to make contact with the country's new de facto rulers, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said.
"This was the first good opportunity to get in touch with HTS and the de facto guardians in Damascus," the spokesperson said, referring to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group left in charge following the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad.
Tuesday's talks in Damascus focused on stabilizing Syria and looked at ways to resume Germany's diplomatic presence there, according to the spokesperson.