G7 invites Syria to summit

France has invited Syria to attend the June 15-17 G7 summit in Évian as a guest nation, and President Ahmad al-Sharaa is expected to represent Damascus if plans hold, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Reuters reported the invitation on May 21, and Arab News carried the report the same day. If al-Sharaa attends, Syria would appear at a summit of the group for the first time since the forum was founded in 1975. France’s presidency website says the leaders’ meeting will take place in Évian-les-Bains in southeastern France from June 15 to 17, 2026. The French foreign ministry says France took over the rotating G7 presidency in 2026 and that the group brings together France, the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany, with the European Union also represented. (arabnews.com) ### How did Syria’s invitation become public? Reuters, in a report published by Arab News on May 21, said three sources familiar with the matter described Syria’s attendance as a guest-nation invitation extended by France. The report said the invitation to al-Sharaa had been sent for the summit in Évian-les-Bains. Arab News said Syria’s participation in the talks would likely focus on the country’s role as a “potential strategic hub for supply chains” after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, attributing that to the sources familiar with the matter. (elysee.fr) Reuters did not identify the sources by name. ### Who is expected to represent Damascus? Syria’s state news agency SANA identifies Ahmad al-Sharaa as president in multiple official dispatches published this year. (arabnews.com) A SANA presidency page carried decrees issued by al-Sharaa in May and earlier in 2026, using the title “President Ahmad al-Sharaa.” France has been engaging directly with al-Sharaa for months. Arab News, citing AFP in a May 2025 report, said French President Emmanuel Macron hosted al-Sharaa in Paris for his first visit to Europe. (arabnews.com) A separate Reuters report published by Arab News in May 2025 said Macron had earlier invited al-Sharaa to visit France in the “coming weeks.” ### Why is a guest invitation significant at a G7 summit? (sana.sy) The French foreign ministry says the G7 has no permanent secretariat and no fixed membership beyond the seven countries, leaving the annual presidency to organize the summit and related meetings. That structure gives the host country broad latitude to shape the agenda and invite outside participants. (arabnews.com) The Élysée says France wants its 2026 presidency to make the G7 “a space for dialogue between major powers” and to create dialogue with “major emerging or committed countries and willing stakeholders.” Syria is not named in that statement, but the language shows France has publicly framed this year’s summit as open to engagement beyond the core members. (diplomatie.gouv.fr) ### Has Syria ever appeared at a G7 summit before? Reuters, in the May 21 report carried by Arab News, said Syria’s attendance would be its first participation in a summit of the group since the forum was founded in 1975. France’s foreign ministry says the grouping began as an annual meeting of the heads of state and government of the seven industrialized countries. (elysee.fr) The available official French pages reviewed here do not list guest countries for the June summit, and they do not separately announce Syria’s invitation. The public record now rests on the Reuters report citing three sources familiar with the matter. ### What happens next before the June summit? June 15 is the opening date listed by the Élysée for the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, and June 17 is the closing date. (arabnews.com) Reuters said al-Sharaa was expected to represent Damascus if the invitation is confirmed, leaving attendance contingent until the summit guest list is finalized. France’s G7 presidency website says it is publishing updates and official material ahead of the leaders’ meeting. (elysee.fr) Any formal confirmation of guest participants would be expected through the Élysée, France’s foreign ministry or Syrian official channels before the summit begins on June 15.