German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock called the refusal of Syria’s interim president Al Sharaa – formerly Al Jolani – to shake her hand during her visit to Damascus.

“As I was traveling here, it was clear to me that there would be no ordinary handshakes,” Burbok told broadcasters Friday night.

“But it was also clear … that not only I but also the French foreign minister did not share that view. And consequently, the French foreign minister did not reach out,” he said, according to Politico.

Bourbock and Jean-Noel Barrot are the first EU ministers to visit Syria since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime following an attack by Islamist rebels in early December.

The incident, however, sparked a heated online debate about global protocols for political greetings, as well as being described as a “handshake scandal” by German newspaper Bild.