ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed that several agreements are set to be signed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during his Damascus visit, adding that France has been “a friend” to the Syrians since the former regime was ousted.

Macron arrived in Syria on Monday, marking the first visit from a European head of state since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024. 

The visit marks the first by a French president to Damascus since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, before longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad crushed pro-democracy protests in 2011.

In an interview with French channel BFMTV, Sharaa said the agreements that are set to be signed with France would help the country to rebuild on multiple fronts, such as energy, industry, human resources, reconstruction, and restructuring state institutions. 

Since 2011, Syria has been through a civil war that lasted over a decade, the war against the Islamic State (ISIS), Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) offensive, which overthrew Assad’s regime, and several other clashes between the new Damascus forces and minority groups.

Sharaa said the country is now going through a “reconstruction phase” and, while having many assets, it requires help from countries advanced in technology and reconstruction, like France.

“We are building institutions in Syria and establishing many partnerships, including in the aviation sector, in addition to the tourism, agricultural, and industrial sectors. France will undertake work in the areas of infrastructure, industry, the financial sector, and restructuring, and there are many sectors in which France can work,” Sharaa said.

On Sunday, the Syrian presidency said Macron’s visit would be alongside a high-level delegation that includes investors and representatives of French companies, as the two sides seek to expand economic ties.

Earlier in May, Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was received by Macron in Paris in the latter’s inaugural European visit since ascending to power in December, offering a seminal moment for Damascus to capture Western goodwill and engage in diplomatic outreach in the pursuit of legitimacy for his administration.

Along with his delegation, the French president is also taking back archaeological artifacts “that were loaned to the Arab World Institute in 2010 and which, for obvious reasons, were not able to be returned to Syria," the Elysee said.