G7 invites Syria to summit

France has invited Syria to attend next month’s Group of Seven summit in Évian-les-Bains as a guest nation, according to Reuters reporting published on May 21. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to represent Damascus at the June 15-17 meeting, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The invitation would bring Syria into a G7 leaders’ summit for the first time since the forum was founded in 1975. The move follows Syria’s participation this week in G7 finance-track talks in Paris, where Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh took part in a closed-door session with finance ministers and central bank governors. ### How was the invitation delivered? A Syrian official told Reuters that an invitation for Sharaa was hand-delivered to Barnieh during the G7 financial talks in Paris earlier this week. Reuters reported that the summit will be held June 15-17 in Évian-les-Bains, in southeastern France, and that Syria will attend as a guest nation rather than as a member. Paris hosted the G7 finance meetings before the leaders’ summit, and Reuters reported earlier this week that Syria’s appearance there was part of preparations for the June gathering. That finance-track participation was described by a person familiar with the matter as part of a broader push to bring Sharaa’s administration closer to leading economies. ### Why is Syria’s attendance unusual? Syria has never previously taken part in a G7 summit, according to Reuters. The group was created in 1975 as a forum for major industrial democracies, and Syria is not a member. Guest invitations are controlled by the host country, which in 2026 is France. Radio Free Syria separately described the invitation as a “historic return to the global stage,” echoing the significance attached to the move by Syrian outlets. Reuters reported that Syria’s attendance comes less than two years after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, a political break that has shaped Damascus’s efforts to re-enter international diplomacy and financial channels. ### Who is expected to attend for Syria? Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to lead the Syrian delegation, according to Reuters and Syrian media reports that cited the Reuters account. Sharaa is identified in those reports as Syria’s president or transitional president. Yisr Barnieh has already been the Syrian face of the G7 process this month. Reuters reported on May 18 that Barnieh would join a closed-door session in Paris with G7 finance ministers and central bank governors, giving Damascus an entry point into the summit process before the leaders’ meeting in June. ### What was Syria doing at the finance talks? Paris hosted the G7 finance-track meeting on Monday, and Reuters reported that Syria joined a closed-door session focused on global economic issues. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that Syria’s participation reflected its growing status and preparations for the leaders’ summit. One Syrian official told Reuters that Damascus was likely to focus on the country’s role as a “potential strategic hub for supply chains” after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. That account tied Syria’s G7 participation to wider concerns among major economies about trade routes, regional disruption and postwar reconstruction. ### What happens next in Évian-les-Bains? The next step is the June 15-17 G7 leaders’ summit in Évian-les-Bains, where Sharaa is expected to attend on Syria’s behalf if the plan holds. France, as summit host, is due to convene G7 leaders and invited guest countries there. Reuters reported that Syria’s expected participation follows Barnieh’s appearance in Paris and the hand-delivered invitation passed to the Syrian side this week.