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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says her country will increase its presence in Syria with the goal of dismantling the arsenal of chemical weapons left behind after the recent ousting of president Bashar al-Assad.
“We now have the chance to keep the world safe from al-Assad’s chemical weapons once and for all,” Baerbock said, offering German assistance for the removal and destruction of weaponry, a process it has previously aided in Syria.
“The weapons that still exist must therefore be placed in international custody as quickly as possible,” she said after a Cabinet meeting in Berlin.
Baerbock also announced the appointment of Tobias Lindner, a senior official at her ministry, as Germany’s special coordinator for Syria.
Germany is also set to provide €8 million ($8.4 million) in an initial package of humanitarian aid to Syria to help stabilize the country, Baerbock announced.
Syria’s food prices have drastically increased amid the ousting of al-Assad’s government, who fled Damascus for Moscow as rebel forces swept through the country. Noting that the price of bread alone has risen by 900% in the past few days, Baerbock said more aid needed to reach local people quickly.
