All Syrian groups, including women and Kurds, must be involved in the country's transition if Damascus wants European support, Germany's foreign minister said after a closely-watched first meeting with the new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday.

The foreign ministers from Germany and France visited the notorious Sednaya prison near Damascus on Friday, a symbol of the brutal rule under deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot were shown the prison at the start of their visit to Syria for talks with the