During a UN Security Council session on counterterrorism on August 5, 2026, France reaffirmed its support for Syria’s new government in its efforts to combat ISIS, warning that any security vacuum in the Levant could create conditions for the group’s resurgence. This statement comes amid a budding rapprochement between the two countries, as Paris seeks to strengthen ties with Damascus.

French-Syrian relations have been evolving rapidly since May of last year, when Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa made a state visit to Paris and met with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. The visit marked a major turning point in bilateral relations, as it represented al-Sharaa’s first official visit to a Western country since assuming leadership of Syria’s transitional government and signaled France’s political recognition of the new authorities in Damascus. Macron’s subsequent visit to Syria in July 2026—the first by a head of state from an EU member country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime—advanced the relationship further, moving it beyond diplomatic engagement and political outreach toward economic partnership, institutional cooperation, and direct French involvement in Syria’s reconstruction.

This rapprochement does not, however, reflect complete alignment between Paris and Damascus. Rather, it is driven by a pragmatic convergence of political, security, and economic interests. Paris is seeking to restore its influence in the Levant, contain security threats, shape the emerging Syrian political order, and secure a role for French companies in reconstruction. Syria’s new government, meanwhile, sees its relationship with France as a way to boost its international standing, ease sanctions, attract investment, and gain greater access to European institutions.

Developing Relations

French-Syrian rapprochement has followed a gradual, multi-track trajectory, beginning with exploratory diplomatic contacts before evolving into high-level political engagement and security, economic, and cultural cooperation. The most notable manifestations of this rapprochement can be summarized as follows:

1. Restoring Diplomatic Contact and Political Support: France’s rapprochement with Damascus began just days after the fall of the Assad government, when Paris dispatched a diplomatic mission to Damascus on December 17, 2024, to meet representatives of the transitional authorities and assess the political and security situation. The visit coincided with the French flag being raised at the embassy for the first time in nearly twelve years.

The next step forward in French engagement took place in January 2025, when Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot visited Damascus alongside then-German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, marking the first visit by a French foreign minister since the embassy was closed in 2012.

Diplomatic engagement progressed even further when President Emmanuel Macron received his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Paris in May 2025. The visit was more than a diplomatic formality: it represented public political recognition of Syria’s new leadership and established a structured channel for presidential-level dialogue on the political transition, regional security, minorities, and Syrian-Lebanese relations. Macron, in turn, visited Syria in July 2026, becoming the first head of state from an EU member country to do so since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government. The visit reflected France’s support for Syria’s political transition and its desire to help shape its trajectory.

2. Promoting Syria’s Reintegration into the International Arena: France has sought to broaden its bilateral engagement with Syria into a wider international process. This was evident in its hosting of the Paris Conference on Syria in February 2025, which brought together European and Arab countries, the United States, and Türkiye, alongside the United Nations, the European Union, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The conference reflected Paris’s desire to assert a central role in shaping arrangements for Syria’s new phase. Discussions there focused on topics like support for a Syrian-led political process, the restoration of state institutions, national dialogue, transitional justice, and the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity. The conference also addressed key security and humanitarian concerns, including counterterrorism, the destruction of remaining chemical weapons, efforts to combat Captagon trafficking, and the safe and voluntary return of displaced Syrians.

3. Supporting the Lifting of Sanctions on Syria: France has supported a gradual easing of European sanctions on Syria, beginning in February 2025 with the suspension of restrictions on the energy and transport sectors and certain financial transactions. In May of the same year, the EU went further by lifting broad economic sanctions, with the exception of measures kept in place on security grounds, as well as targeted measures against individuals and entities associated with the Assad regime.

The two sides also began the process of returning approximately €51 million in seized funds linked to Rifaat al-Assad. In May 2026, the Council of the European Union decided to restore the full application of the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement, in line with France’s broader support for renewed economic engagement with Damascus.

4. Contributing to the Restoration of Security and Stability in Syria: French-Syrian discussions have focused on preventing the resurgence of ISIS, securing prisons and camps, addressing the issue of foreign fighters, and combating drug trafficking and organized crime. Cooperation also extends to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), with the aim of identifying and destroying chemical weapons stockpiles inherited from the former regime.

Paris also supports negotiations between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the aim of integrating the latter into state institutions, preventing disputes from escalating into an armed confrontation that could destabilize northeastern Syria, and preserving the gains achieved in the fight against ISIS.

5. Moving Toward Broader Bilateral Economic Partnership: President Macron’s July 2026 visit to Syria marked a new stage in the rapprochement, as it moved relations beyond political recognition and diplomatic coordination toward direct economic cooperation. During the visit, Macron held talks with Ahmed al-Sharaa, met representatives of civil society, and participated in an economic forum focused on reconstruction and strategic transport corridors, attended by prominent business leaders and representatives of French companies.

Economic engagement resulted in arrangements for French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM to operate two dry ports in the free zones of Adra and Aleppo and manage air cargo operations at Damascus International Airport. These arrangements gave a major French company a prominent role in rehabilitating Syria’s trade and transport infrastructure. France also offered technical assistance to Syrian economic institutions, while the two sides discussed potential cooperation in energy, finance, and infrastructure.

6. France’s Return of Syrian Antiquities to Damascus: Last month, France returned 23 Syrian archaeological artifacts that had remained in France for nearly fifteen years, ever since diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed at the start of the Syrian conflict. The handover coincided with President Macron’s visit to the Syrian capital, with the artifacts transported aboard the French presidential aircraft to the National Museum in Damascus.

The move carries particular significance given the Syrian Foreign Ministry’s announcement that France had become the first country to cooperate with the national campaign to recover Syrian antiquities held abroad. It also reflects the broader shift in bilateral relations from diplomatic rupture and isolation toward renewed cultural and institutional cooperation.

Key Drivers

French-Syrian rapprochement since December 2024 has reflected a convergence of practical interests between the two sides. Paris is seeking to restore its role in Syria and the broader Levant and contribute to shaping post-war arrangements, while Damascus needs to break its international isolation and secure political and economic support. Against this backdrop, the main drivers of rapprochement can be outlined as follows:

1. Containing the Impact of Syria’s Transition on Lebanon: France’s rapprochement with Damascus is closely linked to Paris’s calculations regarding Lebanon, which remains a key pillar of its historical influence in the Levant. France recognizes that the stability of the Lebanese state remains closely tied to the nature of the government in Syria and its ability to control the border, combat smuggling, prevent the movement of weapons and fighters, and establish balanced relations with Beirut based on respect for sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs.

From this perspective, Paris is likely seeking to shape the future relationship between Syria and Lebanon after decades marked by Syrian dominance and tensions. Such an approach could help weaken Iranian-linked networks of influence and smuggling, as well as armed militias, while strengthening the authority of the Lebanese state and its armed forces.

2. Containing the Security Vacuum and Preventing the Resurgence of Terrorist Organizations: France’s engagement can also be understood in light of concerns that weak state institutions and the proliferation of armed factions could allow terrorist networks to reconstitute themselves and pose renewed threats to French and European security. Paris is also encouraging an understanding between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) aimed at integrating Kurdish structures and preserving the gains made in the fight against ISIS, thereby preventing a new confrontation between the Kurds and either the Syrian government or Türkiye.

France’s security concerns extend beyond terrorism to other sources of instability, including Captagon trafficking and organized crime.

3. Restoring Influence and Shaping the Emerging Syrian State: The fall of the Assad regime provided France with an opportunity to re-establish a presence in Syria after years in which its influence had waned relative to that of Russia, Iran, Türkiye, and the United States. By establishing early contacts with Ahmed al-Sharaa and taking a leading role in European and international engagement with Damascus, Paris has sought to position itself as one of the principal Western interlocutors engaging with the new Syrian authorities.

A stronger French presence also provides Paris with greater scope to influence issues extending beyond bilateral relations, particularly Syrian-Lebanese dynamics, the status of the Kurds, and the protection of minorities. At the same time, France is not merely seeking to build relations with the authorities in Damascus; it also aims to influence the character of Syria’s emerging political order amid concerns over renewed sectarian violence, fragmentation, displacement, and extremism.

4. Securing Economic Interests and Participating in Reconstruction: The rapprochement has an increasingly important economic and strategic dimension, given Syria’s extensive reconstruction needs across transport, ports, energy, water, telecommunications, hospitals, and financial and administrative institutions. French companies possess considerable expertise in several of these sectors, which gives Paris an incentive to secure an early foothold in the Syrian market before Turkish, Chinese, Russian, or Gulf companies establish a dominant position.

Syria’s strategic location further amplifies the economic significance of this rapprochement. The country could play a role in reconnecting Mediterranean ports with Iraq and the Gulf and potentially emerge as a corridor for regional trade, energy, and transport. France therefore views reconstruction not merely as a commercial opportunity, but also as a means of establishing a long-term French presence in the Syrian economy and state institutions.

5. Reopening the Syrian Market to French Products: Paris is also likely to use the lifting of sanctions as an opportunity to re-open the Syrian market for French products and facilitate the flow of goods, now free of the financial and commercial restrictions that previously constrained them. This objective is particularly significant given the sharp contraction in French exports to Syria compared with pre-war levels. In 2025, French exports stood at only around $30.5 million, compared with approximately $440 million in 2010, thus highlighting the considerable potential for France to restore its commercial position in the Syrian market.

6. Damascus’s Need to Diversify its Economic Partnerships: The Syrian authorities view France as an important gateway to Europe and a means of overcoming international isolation, given its permanent membership of the UN Security Council and its considerable influence within the European Union. In particular, France was a strong backer of the EU’s decision in May 2025 to lift economic sanctions on Syria and its subsequent decision in May 2026 to fully restore the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement.

Damascus also needs France’s continued support to help ease the remaining sanctions on Syria, as sanctions relief would enable Syria to expand channels for investment and financial transfers and gain access to the expertise needed to reform the central bank, banking sector, public administration, and regulatory institutions. Without financial inflows, investment, and technical assistance to support Syria’s economic reintegration into both the European and global economies, the new authorities will be unable to restore public services or consolidate political control .

In conclusion, since December 2024 French-Syrian relations have been moving toward conditional engagement and a pragmatic partnership based on mutual interests. France’s priorities here are to strengthen its influence in the Levant and participate in Syria’s reconstruction, while cooperating with Damascus to address terrorism, migration, and organized crime. Syria, for its part, aims to gain greater international legitimacy, secure further sanctions relief, attract investment, and broaden its engagement with Europe. Nevertheless, the future trajectory of bilateral relations will remain contingent on several factors, most notably Syria’s internal stability, the protection of minorities, the resolution of the Kurdish issue, and the Syrian government’s ability to prevent ISIS from rebuilding its terrorist capabilities.

Drivers of France’s Rapprochement with Syria