Syria16 July, 20262 min read
Syria And Germany Sign Joint Committee Agreement In Damascus, Launch Inaugural Session
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Syria and Germany launched a joint committee to drive economic recovery and reconstruction. Co-chaired by Asaad Al-Shaibani and Geza Andreas von Geyr.
Committee and air pact
Syria and Germany signed an agreement on Thursday establishing a Joint Syrian-German Committee to organise permanent cooperation, with the ceremony held at the Tishreen Palace in Damascus. The Syrian side was represented by Qutaiba Qadish, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the German side was represented by Geza Andreas von Geyr, State Secretary at the German Federal Foreign Office. Following the signing, the committee convened its inaugural session, co-chaired by Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan Shibani and the German State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, with senior officials and technical experts participating in discussions.
The committee was tasked with coordinating bilateral efforts and overseeing implementation across economic recovery, reconstruction, investment, energy, transport, civil aviation, transitional justice, missing persons and the refugee file. Separately on Thursday, Sameh Arabi, Deputy Head of Syria’s General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport, and von Geyr signed an air transport agreement that SANA said follows a joint declaration of intent signed in Berlin on March 30, 2026.
Direct flights timeline
SANA said Omar Hosari, head of the Syrian General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport, stated that the air transport agreement establishes the legal framework for restoring direct air links between the two countries after years of suspension. Hosari said the agreement completes the legal and regulatory framework needed to move to the operational phase, including designating airlines, processing operating applications and coordinating with the relevant authorities in both countries. SANA reported that Hosari said the Syrian General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport is currently reviewing applications from three German airlines seeking to launch flights to Syria.
Hosari said the process is expected to advance alongside the anticipated lifting of restrictions on July 27. In the same Thursday sequence, Sameh Arabi and von Geyr signed the final air transport agreement at Tishreen Palace in Damascus, coinciding with the inaugural session of the Syrian-German Joint Committee co-chaired by Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and von Geyr.
Refugees, justice, and sectors
The committee’s agenda, as described by the Syrian Arab News Agency through multiple outlets, includes cooperation on transitional justice and missing persons alongside economic recovery, reconstruction, investment, energy, transport and civil aviation. Arab News said the first session of the Syrian-German Joint Committee to assist Syria’s recovery took place in Damascus on Thursday and was co-chaired by Asaad Al-Shaibani and Geza Andreas von Geyr. Arab News also quoted Omar Hosari saying German authorities were looking at lifting restrictions on direct flights to and from Damascus, expected to happen after July 27.
Al-Jazeera Net reported that the joint committee comprises 7 German ministries in exchange for 8 Syrian sectors including transport, trade, aviation, investment, and energy, as part of strengthening bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Al-Jazeera Net added that specialized sessions after the launch were planned to discuss recovery and reconstruction, commerce and investment, support for the private sector, energy, transport, refugee and migration issues, and transitional justice.