France and Syria agreed on Tuesday to appoint ambassadors and resume full diplomatic relations severed in 2012, as President Emmanuel Macron pressed ahead with the first visit by a Western European leader since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.
The agreements came despite two improvised explosive devices detonating near the Four Seasons hotel in central Damascus, where Macron had stayed overnight. The blasts, hidden in a rubbish bin and a parked vehicle, went off shortly after the French presidential motorcade departed. Eighteen people were wounded, including four police officers, but Macron arrived safely at the presidential palace for his meeting with transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who praised his counterpart's resolve to continue the visit.
The two leaders signed 15 agreements spanning civil aviation, health, banking, water infrastructure, and roads. Macron also announced the return of more than 50 million euros in assets confiscated from Rifaat al-Assad to fund Syrian development projects.