DAMASCUS: French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday, becoming the first Western European leader to visit Syria since the country’s new leadership assumed power in 2024.
Macron, who is scheduled to leave on Tuesday, is expected to promote support for “a free, pluralist Syria that respects each of its components” while encouraging the country to contribute to reducing tensions across the Middle East, the French presidency said before the visit.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani received Macron upon his arrival at Damascus International Airport, according to an AFP journalist.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been working to restore the country’s diplomatic standing and rebuild international ties since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Macron’s trip marks the first visit by a French president to Syria since Nicolas Sarkozy travelled there in 2009, before Assad’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011 triggered a civil war that claimed more than half a million lives and caused widespread destruction across the country.
The visit comes just days after a deadly bombing at a café in Damascus, highlighting the ongoing security challenges facing Syria’s new Islamist-led authorities as they seek to reunify the country after more than 13 years of conflict.
Syrian state news agency SANA described Macron’s visit as “a pivotal step in the process of restoring Syria’s international presence”.
Many Syrians expressed hope that the visit would help strengthen the country’s global relations.
“We hope this visit will represent a new start for Syria,” said Faisal Azouz, 76, a retired teacher, noting that it could “open new prospects for economic, cultural and political relations” between the countries.
Others viewed Macron’s presence as a sign of growing international confidence in Syria’s stability.
“If Syria wasn’t safe and stable, no president or foreign official would take the risk of coming,” said dressmaker Diala Akkashe, 33.
Macron had previously welcomed Sharaa to Paris in May 2025 during the Syrian leader’s first official visit to a European country. That visit was followed by Sharaa’s trip to Washington later the same year for talks with US President Donald Trump.
