On July 5th, local time, Syrian National News Agency (SANA) reported that French President Macron is expected to visit Syria to discuss issues related to strengthening bilateral relations and regional development.
The Syrian presidential palace stated that Macron will meet with Ahmed Sharaf, the president of the Syrian transitional government. Both parties will focus on issues such as regional and international development, and deepen cross-sectoral cooperation, in order to promote the political dialogue process between the two countries. A delegation composed of French investors and business representatives is expected to accompany Macron during his visit, which may lead to expanded economic cooperation.
The French President's office has not commented on this news yet.
According to The Associated Press, if this visit takes place, Macron will become the first Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of the Assad government in 2024.
Last May, Macron and Salla met at the Élysée Palace.
The Syrian side has not specified when Macron will visit. However, Macron will attend the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, from July 7th to 8th local time.
In May last year, Macron met with Salah at the Élysée Palace in Paris. This was Salah’s first visit to a Western country. At that time, Macron said in a press conference that all necessary measures should be taken to ensure the protection of all Syrians. He believed that if the transitional government led by Salah could stabilize the situation in Syria, the EU should gradually lift its economic sanctions on Syria.
