PARIS — Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa is visiting Paris on Wednesday for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. It's his first trip to Europe since taking office in January, and a possible opening to broader ties with Western countries.

Syria's new interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will make his first European visit in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, the French presidency said Tuesday, in an effort to bolster ties between the two countries despite deadly sectarian violence in Syria.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Paris on Wednesday, his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, as he seeks international support for his efforts to bring greater stability to his war-shattered country.