G7 invites Syria to summit

France has invited Syria to attend the Group of Seven summit in Évian-les-Bains on June 15-17, according to Reuters reporting cited by multiple outlets and official French summit materials. The invitation would give Syria its first participation as an invited country at a G7 leaders' meeting, after years of diplomatic isolation. The summit host, President Emmanuel Macron, is also receiving recommendations from the G7 countries' science academies on issues far beyond the group's traditional economic brief. Those recommendations include brain health, large satellite constellations and the Arctic ahead of the June gathering in southeastern France. ### How was Syria's invitation delivered? Reuters reported on May 21 that an invitation for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to attend the summit was hand-delivered to Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh during G7 financial meetings in Paris earlier this week. U.S. News, which carried the Reuters report, said the June 15-17 meeting will be held in Évian-les-Bains. (usnews.com) Arab News and other outlets carrying the same Reuters report said a Syrian official described Syria's expected participation as likely to focus on the country's role as a "potential strategic hub for supply chains" after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters attributed that account to sources, not to a public French statement. ### What has France said publicly about the summit itself? (usnews.com) The Élysée says the 2026 G7 summit will take place in Évian from June 15 to 17, 23 years after the 2003 Evian G8 summit and seven years after the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz. The French presidency's summit page says Évian will again host the meeting under Macron. The Council of the European Union also lists the next G7 summit in Evian, France, on June 15-17, 2026. (arabnews.com) Switzerland's foreign ministry says the meeting will bring together G7 members, the European Union and other invited heads of state and government. ### Why are space and brain health now part of the pre-summit agenda? The Royal Society said on May 20 that the G7 science academies released three joint statements on "large satellite constellations," brain health and the Arctic. (elysee.fr) The British academy said the statements were intended to address global challenges ahead of the leaders' summit. The Royal Society of Canada said the Science 7 process met in Paris on May 18-19 and produced recommendations for the G7 summit in Evian. (consilium.europa.eu) The InterAcademy Partnership said the brain health statement called on the G7 to make brain and mental health a cross-cutting policy priority, while another statement addressed the rapid expansion of large satellite constellations. (royalsociety.org) ### What role has Macron played in the science track? The Élysée said Macron met the Science 7 group at the presidential palace on May 19. The French presidency said the academies had reached consensus on a joint declaration after discussions in Paris on brain health, satellite constellations and the Arctic. The Académie des sciences, which organized this year's Science 7 meeting in Paris, said before the gathering that the process is designed to inform international policy decisions with available scientific knowledge. (rsc-src.ca) That places the science recommendations directly in the run-up to the leaders' meeting France will host next month. (elysee.fr) ### What happens next in Évian? June 15 is the next fixed date in the process, when leaders from the G7, the European Union and invited countries are due to gather in Évian-les-Bains. France has not yet published a full public list of invited countries on the main summit page, but official French, EU and Swiss materials all confirm the summit dates and location. May 18-20 produced the main science recommendations already on the table for leaders. (academie-sciences.fr) The question of Syria's attendance now turns on whether Damascus confirms participation and whether France issues a formal public guest list before the summit opens on June 15. (usnews.com) (elysee.fr)