Syria: Macron meets Syrian President al-Sharaa in Damascus.

SHOTLIST DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JULY 7, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS AT PRESIDENTIAL PALACE 2. FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON GREETING MEMBERS OF SYRIAN DELEGATION 3. MACRON AND AL-SHARAA WALKING TO MEETINGDAMASCUS, SYRIA - JULY 7: French President Emmanuel Macron met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, according to local media on Tuesday. Alikhbariah TV aired footage of Macron alongside al-Sharaa at the palace. The two leaders are expected to attend a ceremony to sign several bilateral agreements. No further details were immediately released about the agenda of the talks. Macron arrived in Damascus earlier Tuesday, marking the first visit by a Western leader to Syria since the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. The visit comes amid growing engagement between Paris and Damascus following al-Sharaa's visit to France in May 2025, his first trip to a European and Western country since assuming office. The renewed diplomatic contacts reflect France's efforts to expand its political and economic role in Syria and position itself at the forefront of Western engagement with Damascus.