A similar awkward scene happened when the German foreign minister visited Damascus in January

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has been denied a handshake by Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa during their latest meeting in Damascus.

A video from the talks on Thursday has captured al-Sharaa avoiding physical contact with the foreign dignitary and simply pointing her to her chair with his hand.

A similarly awkward scene happened during Baerbock's first trip to the Syrian capital together with her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in early January. At the time, al-Sharaa shook hands with Barrot, but explicitly avoided doing the same with Germany's top diplomat, placing his right hand on his heart instead.

Baerbock noted at the time that the new Syrian leader's behavior did not surprise her at all, saying that "as I traveled here, it was clear to me that there would obviously be no ordinary handshakes."

Al-Sharaa, best known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has been de facto ruler of Syria since the fall of the country's longtime president Bashar Assad in early December, in which his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group played a key role.

The 42-year-old, who had been appointed interim president in late January, is known for refusing to shake hands with women due to his hardline Islamist views.

During her current visit to Syria, Baerbock also reopened Germany's embassy in Damascus, 13 years after it was shut down shortly after the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, in which Berlin and other Western powers backed the militants fighting against the Assad government.

READ MORE: Germany's Baerbock responds to Syrian handshake scandal

Earlier this month, clashes erupted in the coastal part of Syria between the country's new security forces and local militias, described in Western media as Assad loyalists.

At least 1,300 people, including more than 800 civilians, have reportedly been killed in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus. The victims were mostly Christians and Alawites.
Alawites, a Muslim ethnoreligious group which celebrates Christmas and maintains other distinctive local traditions, are regarded negatively by hardline Islamists, who believe them to be apostates.