Syria invited to G7 summit

Syria is set to attend the Group of Seven summit in France next month as a guest nation, according to three sources cited by Reuters on May 21. President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to represent Damascus at the June 15-17 meeting in Évian-les-Bains, making it Syria’s first participation in a G7 summit since the forum was founded in 1975. The summit dates and venue are listed on the French presidency’s official G7 website. France holds the rotating G7 presidency in 2026, according to the French foreign ministry. The invitation places Syria inside a forum that is formally made up of France, the United States, Canada, Japan, Britain, Italy and Germany, with the European Union also represented. France has said its 2026 presidency will use the G7 as a space for dialogue among major powers and invited countries. Reuters reported that one Syrian official said the invitation to Sharaa was delivered by hand to Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh during G7 financial talks in Paris earlier this week. (usnews.com) ### How unusual is a Syrian appearance at a G7 summit? The G7 traces its origins to a 1975 summit in Rambouillet, France, according to France Diplomatie. Reuters said Syria has never before taken part in a summit of the group. That makes the planned Évian appearance the first by a Syrian leader at the leaders’ forum since the group’s creation. (diplomatie.gouv.fr) Évian-les-Bains will host the leaders’ summit from June 15 to 17, the Élysée says. Emmanuel Macron announced in June 2025 that France would host the 2026 summit in Évian, returning the gathering to the Alpine town that hosted the 2003 G8 summit. ### Why is Syria being invited now? Ahmed al-Sharaa has led Syria’s post-Assad government since rebel forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, according to Reuters reporting cited in follow-on coverage. (diplomatie.gouv.fr) Reuters’ May 21 report did not give a formal French explanation for the invitation, but it linked the move to Syria’s growing diplomatic contacts with Western governments and to Barnieh’s presence at G7 financial talks in Paris. (elysee.fr) Any broader reading of the invitation as political normalization remains an inference unless governments say so directly. May 11 brought another step in that direction when the Council of the European Union said it had restored the full application of the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement, describing the move as support for transition and normalization of bilateral relations. On May 18, Reuters also reported that the European Union renewed sanctions on figures and entities tied to the former Assad government while removing seven entities, including the defence and interior ministries, from its blacklist as part of a broader easing of measures on Damascus. (usnews.com) ### What has happened on sanctions since Assad’s fall? The European Union said on February 24, 2025 that it had suspended restrictive measures on key Syrian economic sectors including energy, transport and parts of banking. The U.S. State Department said on June 30, 2025 that President Donald Trump had issued an executive order terminating the Syria sanctions program effective July 1, while keeping sanctions in place on Bashar al-Assad associates, human rights abusers, captagon traffickers, Islamic State and al Qaeda affiliates, and Iran-linked actors. (consilium.europa.eu) Reuters reported in September 2025 that Sharaa later called on Washington to formally lift sanctions imposed under the 2019 Caesar Act. That means Western restrictions have been eased in stages, but not all Syria-related penalties disappeared at the same time or through the same legal channels. (consilium.europa.eu) ### Who will be in the room in Évian? France says the G7 brings together the leaders of the seven member states and the presidents of the European Council and European Commission. Reuters reported that Syria will attend as a guest nation and that Sharaa is expected to lead its delegation. The official French G7 site says the summit will run from June 15 to 17 in Évian-les-Bains, where France’s presidency has already scheduled ministerial and sherpa meetings ahead of the leaders’ gathering. (usnews.com) June 15 is the next fixed date in the story. That is when G7 leaders, European Union representatives and invited countries including Syria are due to gather in Évian-les-Bains under France’s 2026 presidency. (elysee.fr) (diplomatie.gouv.fr)