Germany’s foreign minister has pushed back at claims of a “handshake scandal” after Syria’s de facto leader failed to shake her hand at a meeting in Damascus.

Ahmed Hussein al-Shar’a, also known by his jihadist nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, refused to greet Annalena Baerbock with a handshake, but gestured towards Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s male foreign minister.

However, Ms Baerbock, one of the first politicians to meet Mr al-Shar’a since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, defended the apparent snub, saying she had been aware it was likely to happen.

In the Muslim world, conservative men and women are prohibited from physical contact with those who are neither family nor spouses.

The incident came amid calls in the West for Syria’s new leader to implement an inclusive, tolerant society.

Ms Baerbock said on Friday: “As I travelled here, it was clear to me that there would obviously be no ordinary handshakes.

“It was also clear…that not only I but also the French foreign minister did not share this view. And accordingly, the French foreign minister did not extend his hands.”