ISTANBUL

Continuing the fight against the terror group ISIS (Daesh) is an "absolute priority," said France’s foreign minister on Thursday during a visit to Syria.

"For the past ten years, France has fought – relentlessly and without mercy – against Daesh terrorists in Iraq as well as in Syria ... I came here to Syria to reaffirm this absolute priority of France," Jean-Noel Barrot said in the capital Damascus.

Barrot arrived in Damascus on Thursday for talks with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al‑Shaibani, Syrian media reported.

Barrot arrived at the Tishreen Palace in Damascus, where he was received by Shaibani for official talks.

The visit marks the first stop in Barrot’s Middle East tour, which will also take him to Iraq and Lebanon, according to the French Foreign Ministry.