DAMASCUS / ISTANBUL

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in Paris on Wednesday for his first official visit to a European country since taking office, state news agency SANA reported.

The visit came at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Sharaa is set to hold talks with Macron focused on Syria’s reconstruction and repeated Israeli strikes on Syrian territory, the news agency said, quoting a source from the Information Ministry.

The discussions are expected to prioritize economic development and reconstruction, with a particular focus on the energy and aviation sectors, SANA reported, adding that the agenda also includes regional diplomacy, particularly ties with neighboring Lebanon.

The source emphasized the significance of Sharaa’s trip, describing it as a landmark moment in Syria’s foreign relations. It is his first European visit since the fall of the former regime of Bashar al-Assad in December.

The Elysee Palace confirmed Tuesday that Sharaa would arrive in Paris on Wednesday. Macron is expected to receive him and express support for building “a new, free, and stable Syria that respects all components of its people.”

Upon his arrival, Sharaa and his Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Fared al-Madh'an, known by his alias “Caesar,” the military defector who exposed mass torture and killings under the Assad regime, the Syrian presidency said.

Madh’an publicly revealed his identity for the first time in February, identifying himself as a Chief Warrant Officer and head of forensic evidence at the military police branch in Damascus.

In a televised interview with Al Jazeera, he described how he smuggled thousands of photographs and documents detailing the Assad regime’s torture practices to international media and human rights groups.

The defector shared roughly 11,000 images of victims killed under torture between May 2011 and August 2013, shedding light on the systematic abuse in Syrian detention centers during the Baath Party’s rule.

In his February testimony, Madh’an, who hails from the southern province of Daraa, said the documentation orders came directly “from the highest levels of power to ensure that executions were carried out.”

On Dec. 11, 2019, the US Congress passed the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, imposing sanctions on the Assad regime for war crimes against civilians.

A new transitional administration led by President Sharaa was formed in Syria in January following the fall of the Assad regime.

Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963.