The Syrian leader’s refusal to shake hands during a visit to Damascus this week was predictable, said Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The incident, however, sparked a heated debate on social media about global political greeting protocols, as well as the “handshake scandal” label used by the German daily Bild, after the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was offered a handshake, reports Politico.
“As I traveled here, it was clear to me that there would certainly be no usual handshakes,” Baerbock told the media on Friday.
“But it was also clear that not only I, but also the French Foreign Minister, did not share this view. And in accordance with the circumstances, the French Foreign Minister did not extend his hand,” she emphasized.
Baerbock and Barrot are the first EU ministers to visit Syria since the long rule of Bashar al-Assad was overthrown after an Islamic rebel offensive in early December.
When they arrived in Damascus, they were greeted by the de facto leader of the country, Ahmed Hussein al-Shar’a, who extended his hand to shake Barrot’s, but not Baerbock’s.
