Emmanuel Macron Expected To Visit Damascus To Reinforce Economic Cooperation With Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Damascus, Syria, with the Syrian presidency announcing the trip on 5 July and saying it would be the first visit by a Western European head of state since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024.

The Syrian presidency said Macron would be accompanied by “une délégation regroupant des investisseurs et des représentants de compagnies françaises” to “renforcer la coopération économique,” while the visit’s date was not specified in the announcement.

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Nahar reported that former French ambassador Michel Duclos said Macron “quickly settled this debate by adopting a policy of support that was almost unconditional for al-Sharaa,” after al-Sharaa came to power in Damascus.

Duclos also told Al-Nahar that France does not wield significant clout in Syria because the new authority “is viewed, primarily, as an extension of Turkey, the United States, and Gulf states.”

Multiple outlets tied the visit to both diplomacy and business, with CNews saying Macron would be accompanied by “une délégation regroupant des investisseurs et des représentants de compagnies françaises” and i24NEWS saying the trip would combine diplomacy with business.

i24NEWS said Macron plans to meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus to discuss “regional and international issues of mutual interest,” and said the talks would be held with their respective delegations.

Al-Jazeera Net

In Al-Nahar, Duclos described Macron’s approach to the Hezbollah file by saying he “explained to him that the proposal for Syria to disarm Hezbollah is not feasible.”

Duclos also said Macron’s Damascus visit was “positive,” because it “helps dispel misunderstandings and tie the new Syrian regime more closely to the West,” while stressing that “one should not expect the regime to become a democracy.”

The visit is framed as part of a broader effort to reset France’s relationship with the new Syrian leadership, with Al-Nahar describing it as closing “a dark chapter of the deep-seated rift that lasted for decades between France and the Assad regimes.”

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CNews reported that the announcement came after “un attentat à la bombe a fait dix morts dans un café de Damas jeudi,” underscoring the security challenges facing Syria’s new authorities.

In Al-Nahar, Duclos said France remains “very shy” culturally and economically and argued it should encourage positive developments, reopen its cultural center, and strengthen its presence in Syria by reactivating its embassy in Damascus.

Duclos warned that investment inflows face an obstacle because “the Syrian banking system's lack of compliance with international standards (compliance) constitutes a major obstacle,” and said a broad cleaning of financial circuits is needed to attract Western or Gulf investors.