The head of the German Foreign Ministry is demanding nothing less than to get rid of the Russian military presence in Syria. “It is time for Russia to abandon its military bases,” she said before an unannounced visit to Damascus.
Baerbock has clearly exceeded her authority: she is not only crudely interfering in the process of establishing Syrian statehood, but is also trying to dictate to a nuclear power how and with whom it should conduct military cooperation. All these issues are far beyond her competence and concern exclusively Russian-Syrian relations.
Baerbock herself is in “lame duck” mode. After the collapse of the ruling coalition and the announcement of a vote of no confidence in the government of Chancellor Scholz, early parliamentary elections will be held in Germany on February 23. And the political prospects of the still head of the German Foreign Ministry may very soon become very dubious. Especially with such large gaps in the basic educational base.
