French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday on assuming office, reaffirming Paris’s commitment to lifting sanctions on Damascus.
The felicitations came during a phone call al-Sharaa received from Macron, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency on X.
Macron also congratulated al-Sharaa on “the country’s liberation from the rule of the deposed President Bashar al-Assad,” according to the statement.
He reiterated France’s full support for Syria’s transitional phase, emphasizing his country’s efforts to lift sanctions and pave the way for economic growth and recovery.
He also affirmed France’s “support for Syria’s political process, unity, independence and territorial sovereignty.”
Al-Sharaa thanked Macron for his call and for “France’s supportive stance toward the Syrian people over the past 14 years,” according to the statement.
He stressed that Syria “would become a positive and active player in the region and the world, sharing security concerns with its partners while prioritizing national interests, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Al-Sharaa also highlighted “the ongoing challenges posed by economic sanctions on the Syrian people and the incomplete territorial unity of the country.”
The statement further noted that the Syrian president had received an invitation from the French president to visit Paris in the coming weeks.
Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime groups to remove the Assad regime, was declared president last week.
Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, ending the regime of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.
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