France has welcomed the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in Syria.
After 13 years of extremely violent oppression of his own people, he is leaving behind a country that is largely emptied of its population — either because they have gone into exile, or were massacred, tortured, and bombarded with chemical weapons by the regime and its allies, the Foreign Ministry said in Paris on Sunday.
The Syrians have suffered too much, the statement continued.
At the same time, the ministry called for a peaceful political transition that respects the preservation of state institutions, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, as well as the diversity of the Syrian people.
Furthermore, France urges all Syrians towards unity, reconciliation and the rejection of all forms of extremism, the ministry continued.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the courage and patience of the Syrian people in a post on X. “In this moment of uncertainty, I wish them peace, freedom and unity,” he wrote. The barbarity is over, he added. France will continue to work for the safety of all in the Middle East, Macron wrote.
