DAMASCUS, July 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday for the first visit by a Western European head of state since Syria's new authorities took power in 2024, an AFP journalist said.

Macron, who will depart on Tuesday, will advocate for "a free, pluralist Syria that respects each of its components" and plays a role in moderating Middle East tensions, the French presidency told journalists ahead of his visit.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani welcomed Macron upon arrival, according to an AFP journalist.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been rebooting Syria's international credentials and seeking to revive his struggling country after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The last French president to visit was Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, before Assad brutally crushed pro-democracy protests in 2011, sparking a conflict that killed more than half a million people and devastated Syria's infrastructure and industry.

A deadly bombing at a Damascus cafe last week was the latest security challenge for the new Islamist authorities who are trying to reunify the country after more than 13 years of civil war.

Syrian state news agency SANA described the visit on Monday as "a pivotal step in the process of restoring Syria's international presence".

It added that with the visit, "Syrian-French relations are entering a new phase based on mutual respect and a balanced partnership".