Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, held a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday, July 7, following a meeting that included the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding across various fields.

During the press conference, al-Sharaa said the Syrian-French meeting represented a historic milestone and a visit that crowned a path of quiet and deep joint work.

Al-Sharaa added that Syria is opening its doors today through an equal partnership and a vital bridge of communication that is indispensable between East and West, while continuing to move positively toward completing the path of national integration.

He said Syria and France are establishing a partnership based on tangible projects that serve both peoples, noting that the discussions yielded a strategic package of agreements and contracts with major French companies.

Al-Sharaa announced an agreement to exchange ambassadors between Damascus and Paris soon.

Israel’s Withdrawal From the South

Al-Sharaa condemned the ongoing Israeli violations that undermine the security of the entire region, stressing the need for Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied in southern Syria.

He said the two sides’ discussions addressed these ongoing violations, amid Syria’s firm position that real stability requires an international commitment to compel Israel to return to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and fully withdraw from the areas it occupied after December 8.

Israel has been carrying out incursions into southern Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024.

The Israeli army maintains military positions in Quneitra (southwestern Syria) and parts of the western Daraa countryside (southern Syria), and refuses to withdraw from the area, citing security concerns over threats it may face from the Syrian side.

The Syrian government is demanding Israel’s withdrawal from Syrian territory and a return to the Disengagement Agreement signed between the two sides in 1974.

A “Similar” Approach on Lebanon

Al-Sharaa also addressed the Lebanese file, saying Syria and France have a similar approach on the issue, centered on the utmost importance of supporting Lebanon’s stability and the sovereignty of its institutions, with a firm emphasis on the need to extend state authority and its legitimate monopoly over arms as the only guarantor of Lebanon’s national security.

The Syrian government has repeatedly emphasized its keenness to cooperate with the Lebanese government based on mutual respect for sovereignty and noninterference by Syria in Lebanese affairs.

A Free and Unified Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron said France is committed to a free, sovereign, and unified Syria across all its territory and to its stability, noting that his country has an interest in rehabilitating infrastructure in the fields of oil and trade, given Syria’s location at the heart of energy corridors.

Macron confirmed that France will return more than 50 million euros, representing the illicit gains of a member of the Assad family, in reference to Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of the head of the deposed regime.

Macron expressed his country’s readiness to help Syria in the field of security by strengthening capacities, training, and empowerment, noting the difficulty of the war on terrorism and praising the Syrian government’s determination in this area.

Syria witnesses security incidents from time to time, the latest of which was the detonation of two explosive devices in Damascus on Tuesday, July 7, which left 18 people injured.

The Islamic State group claims responsibility for some of these incidents, amid its ongoing war with the Syrian government, which it accuses of “hostility to Islam.”

The Syrian government joined the international coalition to fight terrorism in late 2025.

Syria’s Territorial Unity

Macron added that only the rule of law can allow the building of a new Syria, stressing the need for the Syrian state to control all its territory.

Macron called for the withdrawal of all those occupying Syrian territory, stressing that Syria is an independent and sovereign state.

The Syrian government controls most of the country’s territory, except for large parts of Suwayda governorate (southern Syria), which are under the control of local factions affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, in addition to Israeli movements in southern Syria, which Damascus considers a violation of its sovereignty.

The French president, speaking during the press conference, referred to France’s longstanding ties with Syria and praised the entire Syrian people, who he said had shown the world that they are united and unconquerable.

Macron said his country had supported Syrians as much as possible since the beginning of the Syrian revolution against the Assad regime and against terrorists.

He affirmed that France stands alongside Syrians to establish peace, security, and prosperity, noting that freedom is a shared cause between Syria and France.

Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding

The meeting saw the two sides sign a number of agreements and memoranda of understanding in several investment fields.

The announced agreements included the signing of a declaration of intent between Foreign Ministers Asaad al-Shaibani and Jean-Noël Barrot regarding funds looted by Rifaat al-Assad, in addition to a comprehensive cooperation framework to strengthen relations between the two countries in several fields.

The Élysée said France had begun the process of returning 51 million euros to Damascus from assets confiscated from the Assad family.

The agreements also included the announcement of a strategic partnership in several fields, focused on maritime and air transport and logistics services. The agreement was signed by Qutayba Ahmed Badawi, head of the General Authority for Crossings and Customs, and Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of the CMA CGM Group.

The two sides signed a declaration of intent in civil aviation, as well as a protocol agreement on managing air cargo handling and marketing air freight services.

Syria signed an agreement with the French Development Agency and Expertise France. The agreements also included a protocol agreement on cooperation in modular water treatment and energy solutions in Homs (central Syria).

A memorandum of understanding was also signed for cooperation in the health sector, in addition to another memorandum of understanding to develop Syrian university hospitals between Syria’s Ministry of Higher Education and the French company Ellipse Projects SAS.

Another memorandum was signed to strengthen economic cooperation and develop trade relations, along with a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in institutional strengthening, technical support, and capacity building for the Central Bank of Syria.

The announcement of the agreements came after French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday evening, July 6.

The French president’s visit is the first by a Western head of state to Syria since the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, and the first by a French president since former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s last visit in 2009.