French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Syria this week to discuss strengthening bilateral ties, economic co-operation and regional developments, a government official told The National, confirming reports in Syrian state media.
Mr Macron will be arriving “tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest”, said the official, who asked not to be identified.
There was no confirmation of the visit from the French Presidency.
Mr Macron would be the first EU head of state to visit Syria since rebel forces led by President Ahmad Al Shara toppled the autocratic Bashar Al Assad regime in December 2024.
Mr Macron will be accompanied by a delegation of investors and representatives of French companies, reflecting both countries' intention of expanding economic co-operation alongside political dialogue, Syrian state media reported earlier, without giving a date for the visit.
The report was followed by an announcement from authorities that the opening session of the country's new parliament on Monday had been postponed.
The sudden postponement also comes days after a deadly bombing near the Ministry of Justice in the centre of the capital, Damascus.
A statement on Sunday by the High Election Commission, a division of the Syrian Presidency, said the date for the opening session would be decided later.
Mr Al Shara was due to address the session, which had been scheduled to start at noon.
One of the parliament's members told The National that they were not given a reason for the postponement, although some local reports suggested that it was because Mr Macron would be visiting Damascus on Monday.
“They [the Presidential Palace] told us to stay in our hotels and those coming to Damascus to continue on their way because the session will be very soon after Monday,” the MP said.
The formation of a new parliament is seen as a key step in Syria's transition from decades of autocratic rule by Mr Al Assad's family. Mr Al Shara appointed one-third of the 220-member parliament last week while the rest were elected in October by 6,000 people chosen by the authorities. Most of the members are from Syria's Sunni majority.
The new authorities have placed several mid-level security commanders and militiamen of the former Alawite-dominated regime on trial for committing or supporting killings and other crimes, mostly during the civil war.
A bomb was detonated last week in a cafe near the Palace of Justice, where trials are taking place, killing 10 people, mostly lawyers. The authorities did not say who could have been behind the explosion.
Mr Al Shara and Mr Macron are expected to discuss bilateral relations, regional and international developments, and opportunities for co-operation across a range of sectors, state news agency Sana said.
The Syrian presidency said the visit will be part of continuing political consultations between Damascus and Paris to expand co-operation and co-ordination on issues of mutual interest.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani and his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, held a phone call on Saturday to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations, Sana reported.
Mr Al Shara visited Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris in May last year. During that meeting, Mr Macron reaffirmed France’s support for a new Syria that is free, stable, pluralistic, sovereign and respectful of all components of Syrian society, the French President's office said.
