Macron to Visit Syria with Investors — First Western Leader Since 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to visit Syria soon, Syrian state media reported, making him the first Western leader to travel to the country since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in 2024. The announcement, attributed to Syrian state-run SANA and Ahmad al-Sharaa’s office, gave no specific dates; the French presidency had no immediate comment. Macron previously hosted President Ahmad al-Sharaa — the former Islamist leader who seized power in Damascus — in Paris in May 2025 and pledged to press the EU and the United States to lift sanctions on Syria, many of which have already been removed.

Context and significance

SANA said Macron will attend a NATO summit in Ankara this week and that he will be accompanied on the Syria trip by investors and representatives of French companies, underscoring an economic and diplomatic focus. After 14 years of conflict that killed nearly half a million people and devastated infrastructure, Syria faces enormous reconstruction needs and massive humanitarian challenges; foreign investment and sanction relief are central to rebuilding efforts. Macron’s visit would mark a notable shift in Western engagement with Damascus and could accelerate talks on reconstruction and sanctions, depending on diplomatic reactions and timing, as reported by AP News

This story has also been reported by: Reuters, Al-Monitor, Anadolu Agency