French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday for the first visit by a Western European head of state since Syria’s new authorities took power in 2024, an AFP journalist said.
– Macron, who will depart on Tuesday, will advocate for “a free, pluralist Syria that respects each of its components” and plays a role in moderating Middle East tensions, the French presidency told journalists ahead of his visit.
– Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani welcomed Macron upon arrival, according to an AFP journalist.
– President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been rebooting Syria’s international credentials and seeking to revive his struggling country after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
– The last French president to visit was Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, before Assad brutally crushed pro-democracy protests in 2011, sparking a conflict that killed more than half a million people and devastated Syria’s infrastructure and industry.
– A deadly bombing at a Damascus cafe last week was the latest security challenge for the new authorities who are trying to reunify the country after more than 13 years of civil war.
– Syrian state news agency SANA described the visit on Monday as “a pivotal step in the process of restoring Syria’s international presence.”
– It added that with the visit, “Syrian-French relations are entering a new phase based on mutual respect and a balanced partnership.”