ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 18 people, including four police officers, were injured after two explosions struck Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported, as French President Emmanuel Macron was visiting the Syrian capital. The cause of the blasts has not yet been determined, and Macron was confirmed to be safe.
Following the explosions, Syrian state media released photos of President Ahmad al-Sharaa receiving his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, at the People’s Palace in Damascus.
Explosions took place in multiple sites along the road and residential areas while security forces rushed to the scene. French President Emmanuel Macron is safe, the Elysee palace said on Tuesday following blasts near the Damascus hotel where he spent the night, and will pursue his visit as normal.
According to the state media SANA, citing Ministry of Interior, the two explosions occurred near the Ministry of Tourism in Damascus.
Macron had left the hotel when the explosions took place, and is currently in the Syrian presidential palace for a meeting with his counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa and their respective delegations, followed by a one-on-one meeting with Sharaa, according to the French presidency.
“French President Macron has been in contact with us since the liberation, and France has played a constructive role in lifting the sanctions on Syria,” President Sharaa said in an interview on French channel BFMTV on Monday, stressing the importance of President Macron's visit to Syria, which marks the first visit of a western head of state to the Syrian capital.
President Sharaa stressed France’s role in opening Syria to the outside world and establishing international relations with many countries, referencing his visit to France last year where he received a warm welcome from the French President
The French President’s visit to Syria “constitutes an important development in the relationship between the two countries,” Sharaa noted in an interview with state media, noting Syria’s reconstruction phase and potential to contribute regionally with partnerships with countries advanced in technology and reconstruction, calling France is “one of the most advanced countries in the world.”
“We are building institutions in Syria and establishing many partnerships, including in the aviation sector, in addition to the tourism, agricultural and industrial sectors. France will undertake work in the areas of infrastructure, industry, the financial sector and restructuring, and there are many sectors in which France can work,” stated Sharaa on Monday.
Last updated at 12:03 pm.
