French President Macron to Visit Syira 07/06 06:06

   

   DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Syria 
soon, Syrian state media said Sunday, making him the first Western leader to 
arrive in the country since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in 2024.

   Macron hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former Islamist leader 
who seized power in Damascus, in Paris in May 2025, and promised that he would 
push the European Union and the United States to lift crippling sanctions on 
Syria, most of which have been removed.

   The French presidential palace did not comment on Macon's trip to Syria on 
Sunday.

   Syria's state-run SANA news agency, citing al-Sharaa's office, did not give 
details on when Macron will visit. However, he will be attending a NATO summit 
in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

   Macron will be accompanied by investors and representatives from French 
companies, SANA said.

   The 14-year conflict in Syria has killed nearly half a million people and 
displaced millions. Syria's infrastructure lies in ruins, and while other 
nations and businesses have made large investment pledges, the country still 
needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of 
poverty.