French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on July 6, 2026, becoming the first major Western leader to visit Syria since the 2024 ouster of Bashar al-Assad. He was greeted by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and traveled with a business delegation, according to state-run SANA. Macron is scheduled to proceed to the NATO summit in Ankara, where Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.