Macron expected to visit Syria for talks on bilateral ties

Syria’s presidential media directorate said Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Syria for talks on strengthening bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interest, in a move that would bring the French president into direct contact with Ahmed al-Sharaa’s new leadership. No date was given, but the announcement said the trip would include a roundtable with al-Sharaa and Syrian delegations, and Reuters said Macron would travel with investors and representatives from French companies.

The reported itinerary gives the visit a practical dimension beyond protocol. The presence of business figures points to reconstruction, investment, and the reopening of commercial channels as part of the agenda, not just formal diplomacy. It also underlines how Damascus is trying to present itself as open for business after years of war, sanctions, and isolation, even as the timing remains unsettled and the French presidency had not immediately commented.

If it goes ahead, the trip would make Macron the first Western European leader expected to visit post-Assad Syria. That is a notable step for France, which has been one of the strongest Western supporters of Syria’s diplomatic rehabilitation since sanctions began easing. The symbolism matters in Damascus, where officials have sought to show that the new authorities are not isolated and that foreign leaders are willing to deal with them on state-to-state terms.

Macron has already signaled the broad outline of France’s approach. He received al-Sharaa at the Élysée Palace in Paris on May 7, 2025, where he urged the Syrian leader to protect all Syrians and discussed reconstruction, sanctions, and security. French reporting at the time said Macron also planned to push the European Union to let Syria sanctions lapse when they came up for renewal in June 2025, putting economic relief and diplomatic normalization near the center of France’s Syria policy.

The backdrop remains volatile. RFI said the announcement came days after a bomb attack on a café in Damascus killed 10 people, a reminder that Syria’s new authorities still face serious security threats. The combination of a possible presidential visit, French business delegations, and ongoing violence shows why Paris is treating Syria less as a frozen diplomatic file than as a test of whether Western governments can re-engage Damascus without surrendering leverage over security, sanctions, and the country’s wider regional future.