First visit in 17 years: French president Emmanuel Macron prepares for landmark trip to Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to Syria. As Report reports citing the Administration of the President of Syria, this trip will be the first visit by a French leader to Damascus since 2009, when the country was visited by former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

In addition, Macron will become the first head of a Western state to visit Syria after the radical change of power in the republic and the assumption of leadership at the end of 2024 by Ahmed al-Sharaa. At present, the exact date of the French leader’s upcoming trip has not been disclosed.

This diplomatic step was preceded by large-scale geopolitical changes in the region. At the end of November 2024, armed opposition formations launched a major offensive against the positions of the Syrian government army. By December 8, opposition forces entered Damascus, as a result of which government troops abandoned the capital. Bashar Assad officially resigned as president of Syria and left the territory of the state, and the de facto leader of the country became opposition chief Ahmed al-Sharaa. Later, on January 29, 2025, al-Sharaa declared himself acting president for the duration of the transition period, which, according to his estimates, will last from four to five years.