Macron’s upcoming visit is more than symbolic. It reflects a strategic calculation that early economic engagement, combined with active mediation and a principled stance on accountability, can give France disproportionate influence in shaping Syria’s next phase.
Barrot’s visit comes on the heels of a January 31 phone call between Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The French daily Le Monde has revealed that Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, played a decisive and central role in securing the ceasefire and political understanding between Syria’s transitional government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The newly formed council comprises 35 members, including religious, social, and cultural figures. It will operate for an initial six-month trial period, subject to extension, under the authority of the President of the Islamic Ulama Council.
His name became inseparable from the 1982 Hama massacre, when regime forces crushed an Islamist uprising, al-Thawra writes.
Many analysts contend that the March Agreement has already lost much of its substance, Ultra Syria writes.
““We have all found ourselves in the same boat. Either we survive together or we sink together”
Axios also reported that Israel has proposed establishing buffer security zones south-west of Damascus and imposing a no-fly zone on Syrian aircraft near the border, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from most territory it recently entered.
While courting external support is crucial to ending Syria’s isolation, this strategy has come at the expense of domestic affairs, Malek Wannous writes in Al-Modon.
The currency change has come without the level of national consultation that a decision of this magnitude requires, Wael Sawah argues.
Public Prosecution Demands Eight-Year Sentence for Syrian Businessman Firas Tlass
Both the capital and the SDF face mounting pressure from their respective patrons to reach political settlements that would finally close the eastern file and open the region to the international investment.
The delegation’s primary aim is to address longstanding bilateral issues and establish practical frameworks of cooperation, Syria TV writes.
The departure of Christians cannot be viewed as an internal matter alone. It signals the erosion of centuries-old cultural bridges between East and West, and the loss of a vital interlocutor in Syria’s intellectual, economic and diplomatic engagement with the wider world, Mohammed Berro writes.
Since 2020, French judicial authorities have persistently investigated the activities of this organisation
France’s caution in Syria should not be mistaken for a reversal of policy, but rather as a by-product of declining relevance in open arenas of competition, Syria TV writes.
Now owned by the Swiss multinational Holcim, Lafarge is charged with “financing terrorism” and “violating international sanctions.”
During his visit to Riyadh, Sharaa reportedly met with executives from Hilton, Accor, and Bombardier to explore opportunities in tourism and infrastructure.
Over the past ten months, since this new phase of governance began, the state’s approach to the foreign fighter dossier has become increasingly visible—marked by several key patterns:
French courts have issued a new international arrest warrant for the ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in connection with chemical attacks carried out in 2013, Ultra Syria writes.
