For The First Time In 18 Years, France's President Visited Syria And Restored Full Diplomatic Relations
The two leaders announced they would restore full diplomatic ties and reappoint ambassadors to each other's capitals and signed a series of economic agreements.
French president Emmanuel Macron traveled to Syria for a landmark meeting with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa and restored full diplomatic relations between France and Syria.
France closed its embassy in Damascus and cut ties with Syria more than a decade ago, during Syria’s civil war that began in 2011 after former president Bashar al-Assad, Syria's longtime authoritarian ruler, violently cracked down on pro-democracy protests.
Since taking power after he led rebels to topple Assad’s regime in December 2024, Sharaa has worked to convince Western countries that Syria under his leadership deserves support rather than isolation.
In May 2025, Macron hosted Sharaa in Paris, his first trip to a Western country since Assad's fall, and pushed European and American leaders to lift sanctions that had been placed on Syria under Assad.
Most of those sanctions have since been removed.
On July 7, Macron landed in Damascus, becoming the first French president to visit Syria in 18 years and the first Western European leader to visit since Assad was toppled and met Sharaa at the People's Palace.
The two leaders announced they would restore full diplomatic ties and reappoint ambassadors to each other's capitals and signed a series of economic agreements, including a plan for France to help modernize Syria's banking sector and a deal covering maritime and air transport.
France said it had started returning €51 million (US$58 million) to Syria, seized from assets linked to Rifaat al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad's uncle.
While Macron was meeting Sharaa, two explosions went off near the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus, where Macron had been staying, injuring at least 18 people, including four police officers, Syria's Interior Ministry said.
A ministry spokesperson said the attack appeared aimed at undermining Syrian-French relations rather than at a specific target, and that investigators expected to make arrests soon.
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Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
