The Syrian presidency announced on Sunday an "upcoming visit" by French President Emmanuel Macron to Damascus, yet to be scheduled, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.
It will mark Macron's first visit to Damascus since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024. This will also be the third visit by a foreign leader to the country, following visits by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in January 2025 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in April 2026.
A statement from the Syrian presidency noted that President Macron will be accompanied by "a delegation of investors and representatives of French companies (...) to enhance economic cooperation," adding that "discussions will cover regional and international developments."
Macron will be the first French president to visit Syria since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, two years before a conflict erupted that resulted in over half a million deaths and widespread destruction, displacing millions.
However, Macron will be the first leader from a European Union member state and the most prominent Western leader to travel to the Syrian capital, after the Syrian president was received in Paris in May 2025, which was the first visit by the Syrian president to a Western country since assuming power in Damascus following Assad's ousting.
In the same year, the Syrian president later traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
This announcement comes after a bombing inside a Damascus café on Thursday claimed the lives of ten people, highlighting the ongoing security challenges faced by the new Syrian authorities.