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.

Syria's new President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been invited to visit Germany, his office said on Friday following a phone call with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The invitation came two days after Sharaa's office announced he had been invited to visit France.

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,