Macron visits Syria before Ankara NATO summit
The French president met Syria’s new leadership in Damascus before both leaders were due to attend a NATO summit in Ankara.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Syria on Monday for talks with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, AP and Reuters reported, marking the first visit by a Western European leader since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in 2024. The trip signals a further opening between Paris and Damascus as Syria’s new government seeks international backing and investment after years of war.
Macron was met at Damascus International Airport by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, according to AP and Reuters. The French and Syrian presidents are scheduled to travel to Ankara on Tuesday for a NATO summit, where al-Sharaa is expected to meet US President Donald Trump.
Macron said on X that he had come to show France’s commitment to Syrians. He wrote that France supported “a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbours,” and called for “a new chapter of stability and peace.”
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said Macron was accompanied by a business delegation. SANA said the talks were expected to cover regional security and investment opportunities.
Paris has backed Syria’s new leadership
Macron previously hosted al-Sharaa in Paris in May 2025, AP and Reuters reported. At that meeting, Macron urged European leaders and the United States to remove long-running sanctions on Damascus, and most of those sanctions have since been lifted, according to AP and Reuters.
France supported Syria’s new leadership while other governments remained cautious about al-Sharaa, AP and Reuters reported. Those concerns included his conservative rule and his past role as head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an armed group that had previously been linked to al-Qaeda.
Western governments were also watching how Syria’s new authorities treated women and minorities, according to AP and Reuters. They were concerned about whether the country would move toward more democratic rule and whether minority groups would be included in the new political order.
Syria has avoided being pulled into recent regional conflicts, AP and Reuters reported. The country remains heavily damaged after 13 years of war, which left large areas in ruins and pushed millions of people into poverty.
Reconstruction is expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars, according to AP and Reuters. Macron’s visit places France near the center of diplomatic efforts around Syria’s post-Assad future, as Damascus seeks outside support and tries to restore ties with Western governments.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.