French President to Visit Syria as First Western Leader Since 2024

Syrian state media reported Sunday that France’s president will visit Syria in the coming days, becoming the first Western leader to travel there since the 2024 change in government. The announcement came from Syria’s state-run SANA news agency, which cited the Syrian president’s office.

No date was provided, though the French leader is scheduled to attend a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The French president will be accompanied by investors and representatives from French companies, SANA said. The visit follows a May 2025 meeting in Paris where the French leader hosted the Syrian president and pledged to urge the European Union and the United States to lift sanctions on Syria. Most of those sanctions have since been removed.

14-year conflict killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more. The country’s infrastructure remains heavily damaged, and officials have said hundreds of billions of dollars are still needed for reconstruction. The French presidential palace did not comment on the planned trip Sunday.