French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Syria on Monday, becoming the first major Western leader to visit the country since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
Macron’s visit comes during a period of relative calm in the Middle East after the monthlong war in Iran and Lebanon.
He is expected to travel next to Ankara for the Nato summit, where Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is also expected to attend and hold a high-profile meeting with Trump.
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said Macron would visit with a business delegation to discuss regional security, as well as business and investment opportunities.
“I have come to express France’s commitment to the Syrian people. For a sovereign Syria, united in its diversity and at peace with its neighbors,” Macron said in a post on X.
“Together, let us open a new chapter of stability and peace,” he added.
