French President Emmanuel Macron said he would pursue the progressive lifting of European Union sanctions against Syria if Syria stuck to its current path, and added he would lobby the United States to also follow suit in this regard.

During the meeting, Macron will reaffirm France's support for the construction of a "free, stable and sovereign Syria that respects all the components of the Syrian society," the statement said. Sharaa in February received an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to visit France in the "coming weeks.

Sharaa in Paris on Wednesday, in what will mark his first official trip to Europe since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in December.