He welcomed his temporary president, Ahmed al-Tsaraa to the Champs Elysians, for his first controversial visit to the since he took power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
At a joint press conference, the French president asked his guest “to do everything possible to ensure the protection of all Syrians without exception, regardless of origin, religion, faith or opinions”.
Emmanuel Macron also told him that he must “ensure that the perpetrators” of recent religious violence aimed at the “slaughter” of the Alawite minority members “will be prosecuted and tried”. He also called on to “systematically punish the perpetrators of these crimes”.
Indeed, he said he was in favor of continuing “the gradual removal of European economic sanctions” if the Islamist coalition in power in Syria stabilizes his country. The French president was in favor of the gradual lifting of the EU’s financial sanctions on Damascus, as the Islamist coalition that took power after Bashar al -Assad’s overthrow stabilized the country. While he said he would put pressure on the US to follow this example.
“, We’ll do the same. More specifically, we will gradually lift European sanctions, and then we will also push our US partners to follow our example, “Macron noted. He then clarified that he would push the EU so that the sanctions would not be renewed in June.
Referring to the Syrian Kurds, the French president commented that “we owe them faith” and stressed that he would try to persuade the US not to “quickly” withdraw the forces they had developed as part of the fight against the Islamic State jihadists. “The interest of everyone, including Americans, is today to act to remove sanctions against the Syrian people” and “delay the most of the Syrian forces withdrawal,” he said.
The transitional president of Syria has revealed that “indirect talks” with Israel are ongoing in order to “calm the situation”. Commenting on Israeli blows in Syria, Macron spoke of a “bad practice” which, in his estimation, does not guarantee Israel’s “security”.
The French Presidency rejects every ‘naivety’
Emmanuel Macron hopes to help guide the transition to “a free, stable and dominant Syria that respects all the components of Syrian society,” Elise told the French News Agency (AFP) on Tuesday.
Massacres left behind 1,700 dead, mainly Alawites, in the west of the country in March, conflicts with Druzes and abuses recorded by NGOs have raised doubts about the ability of the authorities to control extremist fighters associated with them.
Prior to the visit, the French Presidency had rejected every “naivety”, saying that it demanded that there would be no “complacency” with the “terrorist movements”.
On Wednesday, government spokesman Sophie Primas argued that the launch of a dialogue with Ahmed Al-Charaa was “part of our responsibility” and “in the interest of France and the European Union”. However, this dialogue “is not the approval of this government,” she said during the minutes of the Ministers Council.
An invitation criticized by the right and the far right.
Emmanuel Macron was strongly criticized by the French right and far -right for his invitation to this former jihadist, according to the French newspaper “”. RasseMbert National Leader Marin Lepen reacted with “shock and disgust”, describing the Syrian president as “a jihadist who passed through the” Arabic acronym of the Islamic State “and al -Qaeda”. “The red carpet at the Mansion of the Champs Elysia will have the color of the blood of the victims of Islamic terrorism,” his ally Eric Chitot repeated at RTL on Wednesday.
