Germany rejects Putin’s request to help restore Syria
The German Government believes that it is premature to raise the question of providing assistance for the reconstruction of Syria because a political truce must first be established there, said Steffen Seibert, spokesman for the Federal Government and head of the Federal Press Office on Monday, August 20.
“The German federal government does not believe that the problem of Syria’s restoration should be addressed immediately’, dpa news agency quotes Seibert as saying. He added that the Syrian province of Idlib is at a risk of “humanitarian catastrophe.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on August 18. He urged Europe to help restore the destroyed Syrian infrastructure. He explained that it would encourage refugees to return but the proposal was heavily criticized by German politicians.
Seibert stated that Germany is ready for a quadripartite meeting on Syria with Russian, French and Turkish representatives. He also added that Merkel and Putin agreed to expedite the meeting preparation. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also suggested organizing the gathering.