Macron Visits Damascus to Reopen Ties and Advance Reconstruction

Overview

• Macron flew to Damascus on Monday evening for a tightly managed 24‑hour visit that included a working dinner with President Ahmad al‑Chareh and an economic forum with French business leaders.
• During Tuesday's public session Paris and Damascus announced intentions to restore relations at ambassador level and agreed that France will return 23 archaeological objects previously loaned to Paris.
• Two explosive devices detonated near the Four Seasons hotel on Tuesday morning where Macron had stayed, injuring civilians and police but leaving the president unharmed according to the Élysée.
• Macron used the visit to push conditional engagement that ties reconstruction support to protections for minorities, political plurality, and concrete counterterrorism cooperation from Syrian authorities.
• The trip opens commercial doors for French firms on projects tied to a reconstruction bill estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars while highlighting persistent security risks and wider regional strategic tensions.