Macron will visit Syria as the first Western leader since Assad’s ouster, Damascus says

France’s President Emmanuel Macron chairs the fifth follow-up meeting on combating drug trafficking, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Thursday July 2, 2026. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Pool Photo via AP) Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Damascus, Syria (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Syria soon, Syrian state media said Sunday, making him the first Western leader to arrive in the country since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in 2024. Macron hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former Islamist leader who seized power in Damascus, in Paris in May 2025, and promised that he would push the European Union and the United States to lift crippling sanctions on Syria, most of which have been removed.The French presidential palace did not comment on Macon’s trip to Syria on Sunday. Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, citing al-Sharaa’s office, did not give details on when Macron will visit. However, he will be attending a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Macron will be accompanied by investors and representatives from French companies, SANA said. The 14-year conflict in Syria has killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Syria’s infrastructure lies in ruins, and while other nations and businesses have made large investment pledges, the country still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of poverty.