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.

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.

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