Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit France in the coming weeks, the Syrian president's office said in a statement on Wednesday.

France, like other EU countries, has expressed a desire to engage with Syria’s new administration and lift sanctions on the country.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday spoke on the phone with new Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and invited him to visit France in the coming weeks, in what appears to be al-Sharaa's first direct contact with a European head of state.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday held a phone call with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to congratulate him on assuming his position and invited him to visit France, according to a statement from the Syrian presidency.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised support for Syria's reconstruction during a telephone call with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday. Scholz and al-Sharaa agreed "that what is needed now is an inclusive political process that allows the participation of all Syrians,