Transcription
On the occasion of Emmanuel Macron's visit to Syria, where the president arrived a few minutes ago. The Syrian president, Ahmad al-Chara, answered BFM's questions. This is the first time he has spoken to a European media outlet. It is he, for the record, who contributed to overthrowing the dictator Bashar al-Assad a little over a year and a half ago. Good evening Patrick Sos. We need to provide some context. The man we are about to hear is a man closely watched by the international community, a former jihadist, now repentant, who is therefore leading Syria. Who is leading it in a democratic way from now on. He has been a transitional president since December 8, 2024, and he is trying to show the best face of his country, which is partly occupied in the south by the Israelis, by the Turks in the northwest, you also have Russian intentions which have retaken their base, it is not easy, not to mention, of course, the question of minorities, I am thinking of the Kurds, the Druze, the Alawites, there have been a number of deaths during clashes, it seems to be calming down a little, and above all, it is, as you said, the arrival of a first Western leader, he will try to be, in short, the salesman for his country. Let's listen to him, let's listen to this exclusive interview with the Syrian president Ahmad al-Shara, interviewed at the presidential palace in Damascus by Igor Saïri. Mr. President, first of all, thank you very much for welcoming me here to the presidential palace, thank you for granting us an interview for BFM TV, it is important for me because I was in Syria in December 2024 to observe how happy the Syrians were to see their country liberated, to see the old regime fall. Today is perhaps a very important date because the French president is coming to Syria. He will be here in the presidential palace in a few hours, and he is the first president, the first European head of state to come since you liberated the country. What does this visit by Emmanuel Macron represent for you, Armel Al-Chara? Welcome, it was a good opportunity for you to be present at that moment, for you to witness the modern history of Syria with the beginning of the liberation of Damascus. A battle, as you know, took place in Aleppo and Idlib before we emerged. France has been considered a friend of the Syrian people since the Syrian revolution, and France has supported the Syrian revolution movement so that the people who were tyrannized by the old regime could regain their freedom and dignity. Since the beginning of the liberation, President Macron has ensured that communication with us is maintained as we progress through the stages of the transition in Syria. President Macron has supported the renaissance of Syria and the new reign. France is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It has helped Syria lift the sanctions that were imposed on it. Syria, which was suffering enormous pressure and sanctions because of the abuses of the Old Regime. And France has played a very constructive role. I came to Paris last year, it was one of my first trips, my first stop in Europe, I received an excellent welcome from President Macron. It is a first step in the right direction. I believe that Syria has overcome enormous obstacles in recent months and has built good international relations at the regional and international level with the help of all friendly nations that have concerned themselves with the Syrian problem. They have made it possible to lift sanctions, to create an opening for the Syrian people. So, to help resolve economic and migratory problems, President Macron's visit in this context represents progress in strengthening relations between Syria and France. France wants to play a major role in the reconstruction of Syria. What role would you like for France? What do you consider most important as France, as a nation, for aid to Syria? Syria is currently undergoing a period of reconstruction. It is a country that has both many assets and has suffered enormous destruction during the civil war, which lasted 14 years. France is considered one of the most modern and advanced countries in terms of reconstruction. We are in the process of rebuilding institutions in Syria. We need many partnerships with companies in various sectors, such as aviation companies, for example. Syria is, for example, about to sign a contract for an order of 8 Airbuses. And I think they will be delivered quickly too. France will participate in the reconstruction of infrastructure in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, industry, and of course, the financial sector also needs restructuring, and then possibly large French companies could contribute. There are many sectors where France could support Syria. There are common interests between our two nations on the economic and regional levels. Migratory flows have harmed Syria's image. Our country has succeeded in drastically reducing the flow of migrants to Europe, which was caused by the Old Regime. And then, Syria has succeeded in bringing back many of its nationals. More than one and a half million Syrians have returned from neighboring countries. The old regime was based on drug trafficking. Syria had become a hub for drug manufacturing. So, as soon as we arrived in Damascus, we began to dismantle the trafficking. A security agreement with France was confirmed with this visit, and thanks to our shared relationship since last year with France, we are in the process of executing the various stages. This explains President Macron's visit and the agreements we will conclude on this occasion. "This explains President Macron's visit." We know the importance of the geopolitical issue in the region, and particularly for Syria. We know that Syria is undergoing reconstruction, that the task is immense in terms of infrastructure, water, and electricity. Where should France, where should Europe invest in Syria? What are the priorities of the Syrian presidency today? The reconstruction of Syria rests on several priorities at the same time, such as energy, industry, agriculture, human resources, education. Currently, we are working to implement a program to upgrade institutions. Last year, we signed several contracts in the energy sector to produce 5,000 megawatts and rebuild power plants. There are so many priorities that a single country cannot handle them all alone. So there are several allied countries that are ready to help us, to rebuild and to invest. Investing in Syria is a huge opportunity for large foreign consortia looking to prosper and develop to rebuild the infrastructure destroyed over the last 14 years. Thank you very much, Mr. President, for this interview given to BFM TV. Thank you for welcoming us once again to this presidential palace, and have a good visit. A warm welcome to the French President Emmanuel Macron. So, that's it for this exclusive interview with the Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara, who praises France's role, and I quote, France's very constructive role as a friend of the Syrian people. We will find you again, Igor Saïri, it is you who conducted this interview. Tell us simply, we were in the presidential palace in Damascus with you a few moments ago, the behind-the-scenes of this interview. We are in a country, Syria, still marked by regular attacks. A bomb attack killed ten people a few days ago. I assume there were particular security measures. Listen, this interview took place under very specific conditions because, as you know, Ahmed Al-Chara, the Syrian president, is relatively tight-lipped with the media, especially with Western media, and he agreed, on the occasion of this visit by the French president, to receive me with Théo Toucher, right in the heart of the presidential palace, for about half an hour. What was quite spectacular was that when we entered the presidential palace, there were obviously a lot of soldiers, obviously, and many police officers, many bodyguards surrounding Ahmed Al-Chara, especially when he came down from his office to go to the main hall of the presidential palace, and when he sat down opposite me, everything was controlled, everything was managed by his communication team and by the security agents. When the camera started rolling, Ahmed Al-Chara decided to be relatively open and proactive towards foreign investors, and particularly towards French investors. Ahmed Al-Chara needs his country to be rebuilt. We recall that 90% of the population lives below the poverty line, that almost all infrastructure is destroyed. So, this country needs to rebuild in the coming years, so that, according to him, Syria becomes a stabilizing agent for the entire region, both for Lebanon, and vis-à-vis Israel, even vis-à-vis Iran. Syria must play a fundamental role in the Middle East region. And this will indeed be, thank you very much Igor, one of the stakes of this visit by Emmanuel Macron.