Syrian President to be received by Emmanuel Macron in Paris for his first visit to Europe

For his first trip to the European Union as the new leader of Syria, Syrian President Ahmed al-Chareh , in power since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, will be received this Wednesday in Paris by Emmanuel Macron, the Élysée Palace announced.

The French president "will reiterate France's support for the construction of a new Syria, a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of Syrian society," the same source said.

The fact remains that President Ahmed al-Shareeh 's profile is controversial. A former jihadist affiliated with Al-Qaeda and then the Islamic State, he is also the founder of the Al-Nusra Front, a rebel and terrorist group with a Salafist-jihadist ideology that emerged in 2012 in the context of the Syrian civil war. Listed as a terrorist by the UN, Ahmed al-Shareeh has until now been banned from traveling.

"We are not ignoring Mr. al-Shareh's past. But he has launched a transition process," the presidency explained to justify this visit. It added: "This meeting is part of France's historic commitment to Syrians who aspire to peace and democracy," assuring that Emmanuel Macron would reiterate "his demands on the Syrian government, first and foremost the stabilization of the region, particularly Lebanon, as well as the fight against terrorism."

"Not engaging in dialogue would be irresponsible towards the French people and, above all, a red carpet for Daesh," the Foreign Minister said on RTL this Tuesday morning. "The security of the French people is at stake in Syria. The fight against terrorism, the control of migratory flows, the control of drug trafficking, and I would add the future of Lebanon, are at stake in Syria," said Jean-Noël Barrot, who traveled to Damascus on January 3 to meet with Syria's new leaders.

Since taking power, the Syrian president has traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, and numerous Western foreign ministers have visited the country. Emmanuel Macron invited the transitional Syrian leader to visit France in early February. At the end of March, he made this invitation conditional on the formation of a Syrian government inclusive of "all components of civil society" and guarantees for the country's security, while deeming his initial discussions in this regard "entirely positive."

Since taking power in December, the Islamist coalition governing Syria, led by Ahmed al-Shareeh, has been trying to present a reassuring image, particularly to the international community, which has urged it to respect freedoms and protect minorities. Syria's goal is to lift the sanctions imposed on Bashar al-Assad's government.

But this unity is still being undermined. Massacres that left nearly 1,700 people dead, mostly Alawites, in the west of the country in March and recent fighting with the Druze, not to mention the abuses documented by NGOs, raise doubts about the new authorities' ability to control some of the extremist fighters affiliated with them.

Meanwhile, Israel has recently stepped up its strikes in neighboring Syria , including one on Friday targeting an area near the presidential palace in Damascus . The Jewish state spoke of a "clear message sent to the Syrian regime" after the attacks against the Druze minority, for whom Israeli leaders have championed the cause. For its part, the Syrian presidency, which has pledged to protect all communities, denounced a "dangerous escalation." For its part, the UN called on Israel on Saturday to "immediately" cease its attacks in Syria.