The Syrian Future Movement is following with great interest the news regarding the anticipated visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Syria, and the significant political and diplomatic implications of this visit at this new stage in our nation’s history, following the fall of the Assad regime and the commencement of the process of rebuilding the Syrian state on the foundations of sovereignty, stability, and balanced openness.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the visit of the president of a major power like France, accompanied by a high-level delegation, represents a significant step forward in breaking the isolation imposed on Syria over the past decades and years. It opens the door to more mature international relations based on respect for Syria’s sovereignty, support for its stability, and assistance to its people in the path of recovery and reconstruction.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that the importance of this visit is not limited to its bilateral dimension between Damascus and Paris, but extends to France’s pivotal role within the European Union and its permanent membership in the Security Council. This makes the visit a potential entry point for a more balanced relationship between Syria and the European Union, based on shared interests, economic cooperation, and support for institutions, far removed from policies of isolation, guardianship, or interference.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that a French presence in Syria, if coupled with practical projects in the economy, investment, energy, infrastructure, education, and development, could be a significant lever to help Syrians overcome the effects of the war, restore normalcy, create job opportunities, and enable the Syrian state to build productive partnerships with the international community.
In this context, the Syrian Future Movement draws attention to the particular importance France attaches to the Lebanese issue and the necessity of viewing the French visit to Damascus in conjunction with recent Syrian initiatives toward Lebanon, especially the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to Beirut. This reflects the Levant’s need for a new approach based on respect for state sovereignty, border control, enhanced official cooperation, and a rejection of turning Lebanon or Syria into arenas for influence and proxy conflict.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the stability of Syria and Lebanon are not separate issues, but rather are integral to the security and stability of the Arab Levant. Any positive French role should support sound Syrian-Lebanese relations based on shared interests, good neighborliness, and the protection of national sovereignty, free from the legacy of tutelage, interference, and cross-border militias.
While the Syrian Future Movement welcomes any serious international engagement with the new Syria, it emphasizes that the success of this visit will not be measured by diplomatic protocol alone, but rather by the practical steps it can produce to serve the Syrian people, support reconstruction, and pave the way for Syria’s return to its rightful place within its Arab and international environment.
The Syrian Future Movement calls on France and all European Union member states to build a new policy toward Syria, one based on partnership, not dictates; on supporting the Syrian people, not punishing them; on respecting Syrian national sovereignty; and on contributing to the rebuilding of state institutions, promoting development, and consolidating stability.
The Syrian Future Movement affirms that the new Syria needs balanced international relations that preserve its sovereignty, open avenues for cooperation, and restore its severed ties with the world, in a manner befitting the sacrifices of the Syrian people and their aspirations for a free, independent, secure, and prosperous state.
