President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria arrived in France on Wednesday for his first trip to a European country since ascending to power, marking a pivotal moment in his bid to reintegrate Syria into the international community.
The visit came at a time of deep uncertainty for the country, which has been mired by spasms of sectarian violence as it tries to emerge from more than a decade of war.
Mr. al-Shara met with President Emmanuel Macron of France at the Élysée Palace in Paris, in both a diplomatic boost and a key test for the Syrian president as he faces skepticism at home and abroad.
Mr. Macron and Mr. al-Shara were to discuss Syria’s political transition, its security, the fight against terrorism, economic aid and regional stability, according to the French presidency. Mr. Macron’s office said he was particularly worried about ongoing sectarian violence and would press Mr. al-Shara on continuing the transition to a “free, sovereign and pluralist Syria.”
Some right-wing critics of Mr. Macron balked at welcoming the Syrian leader at the presidential palace because of the violence in Syria and his background as the leader of an Islamist rebel group once affiliated with Al Qaeda. Mr. al-Shara is still on a terrorism sanctions list and had to receive an exemption from the United Nations to travel. France has been deeply scarred by a string of Islamist terrorist attacks over the past decade.
“We are not writing a blank check, and we are judging based on actions,” Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, told TF1 television on Wednesday.
