By Clotaire Achi and John Irish
DAMASCUS, July 6 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Syria on Monday, in the first visit to Damascus by a European Union head of state since rebels led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
The visit underlines Syria’s geopolitical transformation under Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who has established close ties with Western and Middle Eastern powers that shunned Assad, as he seeks to rebuild a country shattered by 13 years of war.
“I am here to affirm France’s commitment to the Syrian people. For a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbours. Together, let’s open a new page of stability and peace,” Macron said on X.
Macron, who was greeted at Damascus airport by Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, will hold a working dinner with Sharaa before further meetings on Tuesday, according to an agenda from the French presidency.
Syria’s reconstruction is set to be one of the key themes of the trip, and Macron will be accompanied by business leaders including the CEOs of TotalEnergies and French container shipping group CMA CGM, a French presidential official told reporters ahead of the visit.
Macron will also stress France’s commitment to a free, pluralistic Syria that respects all of its communities and meet Syrians from all backgrounds and affiliations, the official added.
Sharaa, a member of Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority, has pledged to build an inclusive new order in Syria since ending more than five decades of iron-fisted rule by the Assad family. But his promise has been tested by bouts of violence pitting pro-government forces against members of religious and ethnic minority groups, with many hundreds killed last year.
The French presidential official said that Syria could only be a partner for France if pluralism is fully taken into account, and that it was out of the question for France that one form of exclusive power should simply replace another.
Sharaa met Macron during a visit to France last year, his first to a European country since toppling Assad. Macron was a leading voice calling for the lifting of Western sanctions, which were largely removed last year.
WARNING AGAINST ANY LEBANON INTERVENTION
Sharaa, who severed ties with al Qaeda in 2016, has steered Syria into a new era, a shift reflected in his close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump. Last year, Damascus joined the U.S.-led global coalition against Islamic State.
Trump has recently raised the possibility of Syrian forces combatting the Iran-backed Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah, which fought alongside Assad in the Syrian conflict.
The French presidential official said that Macron had made it very clear to Sharaa that Syria should under no circumstances send forces into Lebanon, and that Sharaa had said he would not do so, regardless of any requests or pressure.
Sharaa has previously denied what he called rumours about any Syrian presence entering Lebanon.
Following Assad’s ouster, France played a role mediating between Damascus and Syrian Kurdish groups that had established control over much of the north whilst fighting as part of the anti-IS alliance.
Damascus and Syria’s dominant Kurdish groups signed a U.S.-backed integration deal in February, after government forces seized swathes of the Kurdish-controlled territory.
VISITS BY QATARI, UKRAINIAN LEADERS
France administered Syria under the French Mandate from 1920 until independence in 1946.
Diplomatic sources said talks would focus on counterterrorism and the possible upgrade of diplomatic relations: France is currently represented by a charge d’affaires who is not fully present in Damascus and generally based in Beirut.
The EU lifted all economic sanctions on Syria in May 2025 while keeping in place measures targeting members of the former Assad administration and sanctions imposed on security grounds. In May, the EU removed sanctions from seven Syrian entities – including Syria’s defence and interior ministries – from its blacklist, while renewing measures targeting individuals and entities linked to the former Assad government.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani was the first foreign head of state to make a trip to Syria after Assad was toppled, visiting in January 2025. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited in January. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met Sharaa during a visit to Syria in April.
(Reporting by John Irish and Makini Brice in Paris; Muhammad Al Gebaly and Menna Alaa El Din in Cairo; Feras Dalatey in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Alex Richardson and Deepa Babington)
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