French President Emmanuel Macron became the first European Union head of state to speak directly with Syria’s new President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Tuesday, POLITICO reports.
Macron’s office said he “took the initiative” to call al-Sharaa, who has been the de facto Syrian leader since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December and was appointed interim president last week. The two leaders discussed “the need to continue the fight against terrorism” and Macron expressed “hope that the process initiated by the interim authorities will fully meet the aspirations of the Syrian people.”
Al-Sharaa had earlier met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, who visited Damascus last month.
Syrian state news agency SANA reported that Macron “congratulated” al-Sharaa and “emphasised his country’s commitment to lifting sanctions on Syria.” Last week, the EU said it would lift some sanctions imposed on Syria during Assad’s rule to help the country recover from more than 13 devastating years of civil war.
The SANA news agency also reported that Macron invited al-Sharaa to Paris, which will be the Syrian leader’s first visit to Europe. The French president will host an international conference on Syria in Paris on February 13. A diplomatic official, who was granted anonymity for protocol reasons, told POLITICO that the Syrian foreign minister is expected to attend.
On Sunday, al-Sharaa made his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, and on Tuesday he visited the Turkish capital Ankara, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
