French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday evening, July 6, 2026, in a visit described as historic and unprecedented since the political transformation that the country witnessed following the overthrow of the Assad regime at the end of 2024.

With Macron's visit, he will be the first French president and Western leader to visit Syria since Nicolas Sarkozy's visit in 2008.

Damascus International Airport witnessed an official reception ceremony, where Syrian Foreign Minister and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani was at the forefront of the reception of the French President and his accompanying delegation immediately after the plane landed.

The French delegation included senior political and economic figures, as well as representatives of major French companies and investors, in a clear sign of Paris' desire to open a new page of economic cooperation and contribute to recovery and reconstruction efforts.

President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and his French counterpart are scheduled to hold an extensive session of talks in the presence of the delegations of the two countries, on bilateral relations and developments in the regional and international situations, with a focus on border security files and the rejection of foreign interference in the affairs of neighboring countries, especially Lebanon.

The visit comes in a sensitive political context, as Paris seeks to establish its presence in the post-political phase of political change in Syria and strengthen its role in rebuilding European-Syrian relations.

The legitimate president at the Elysée Palace

On May 7 last year, French President Emmanuel Macron received his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Shara, upon his arrival at the Elysee Palace, as part of the first official visit by al-Sharaa to a Western country since he took power.

The talks between the two presidents dealt with security challenges, the Israeli occupation's aggression on Syria, relations with neighboring countries, in addition to reconstruction files and prospects for economic cooperation.