AFP reported on July 6 that the Elysee Palace stated on the 6th that French President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently in Syria, will return a batch of archaeological artifacts that were borrowed from France before the war to the Syrian authorities.
The French Presidential Palace stated, "The archaeological artifacts brought by the President to Syria were lent to the Arab World Research Center in 2010. For obvious reasons, they have not been returned to Syria since then."
Syrian National News Agency (SANA) reported that the General Directorate of Cultural Relics and Museums stated that France has returned 23 archaeological relics to Syria. These relics were previously borrowed by the Syrian Museum from the Arab World Research Center, and are now being returned to the Damascus National Museum.
The General Administration of Syrian Cultural Relics and Museums stated that these cultural relics were originally scheduled to be returned in 2014, but due to the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, the return process was delayed.
France cut off relations with Syria in 2011, and since then, a war that lasted over ten years has ensued in Syria.
Markel arrived in Damascus on the evening of July 6 local time, becoming the first Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of the Assad government in 2024.
In May last year, Macron met with Syrian leader Ahmad Shaher at the Élysée Palace in Paris. This was Shaher’s first visit to a Western country. At that time, Macron said in a press conference that all measures should be taken to ensure the protection of all Syrians. He believed that if the transitional government led by Shaher could stabilize the situation in Syria, the European Union should gradually lift its economic sanctions on Syria.
