President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria arrived in France on Wednesday for his first trip to a European country since ascending to power, marking a pivotal moment in his bid to reintegrate Syria into the international community.
The visit came at a time of deep uncertainty for the country, which has been mired by spasms of sectarian violence as it tries to emerge from more than a decade of war.
Mr. al-Shara met with President Emmanuel Macron of France at the Élysée Palace in Paris, in both a diplomatic boost and a key test for the Syrian president as he faces skepticism at home and abroad.
Mr. Macron and Mr. al-Shara were to discuss Syria’s political transition, its security, the fight against terrorism, economic aid and regional stability, according to the French presidency. Mr. Macron’s office said he was particularly worried about ongoing sectarian violence and would press Mr. al-Shara on continuing the transition to a “free, sovereign and pluralist Syria.”
Some right-wing critics of Mr. Macron balked at welcoming the Syrian leader at the presidential palace because of the violence in Syria and his background as the leader of an Islamist rebel group once affiliated with Al Qaeda. Mr. al-Shara is still on a terrorism sanctions list and had to receive an exemption from the United Nations to travel. France has been deeply scarred by a string of Islamist terrorist attacks over the past decade.
“We are not writing a blank check, and we are judging based on actions,” Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, told TF1 television on Wednesday.
Mr. Barrot said that Syrian authorities had taken several positive steps, including progress on a deal that France helped mediate between the authorities and the Kurds who control Syria’s northeast, and cooperation on getting rid of the country’s remaining chemical weapons.
“If we are having him come, it is precisely to ask him to go further,” Mr. Barrot said, especially in punishing those responsible for sectarian violence and in supporting counterterrorism efforts.
Since leading the overthrow of the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, Mr. al-Shara has struggled to rein in the complex web of armed groups operating across Syria and to prevent deadly attacks on the country’s minorities.
That has alarmed Western nations that welcomed the fall of the Assad regime but have made the lifting of longstanding economic sanctions contingent on an inclusive political transition that protects the rights and security of all Syrians.
Mr. Macron’s decision to welcome Mr. al-Shara reflected a widening gap between many close American allies and the United States in their approach to the new Syrian authorities.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and France have all received him, and some have called for the lifting of penalties that are crippling for Syria’s economy. More than 90 percent of Syrians live in poverty, and one in four is unemployed, according to the United Nations.
The European Union and other countries have started easing some sanctions, including measures targeting Syria’s oil, gas, electricity and transportation industries. But President Trump’s administration has kept its distance, making sweeping demands that it says Mr. al-Shara must meet to allow for further engagement.
Large-scale sectarian violence in March, when Syria’s coastal region was rocked by a killing spree targeting the country’s Alawite religious minority, starkly revealed Mr. al-Shara’s shaky grip on security. Over a few days, more than 1,600 people — mostly Alawites — were killed amid a crackdown against Assad loyalists who had ambushed government security forces. Much of the bloodshed appeared to have been committed by Sunni Muslim extremists affiliated with the government but not formally integrated into a unified national military.
The violence prompted uproar from the international community, with France condemning it as “atrocities” and calling for an independent investigation. Mr. al-Shara has formed a committee to investigate the killings.
Sectarian tensions have continued, and many Syrians from the country’s patchwork of religious and ethnic minorities remain wary of Mr. al-Shara’s leadership. Last week, deadly clashes erupted between pro-government forces and militias from the Druse minority, prompting Israeli jets to strike near the presidential palace in Damascus.
France cut diplomatic ties with Syria in 2012 over the Assad regime’s brutal repression, and it is only now taking the steps to fully reopen its embassy in Damascus.
A French official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with diplomatic protocol, said that France sees no alternative to direct engagement with Mr. al-Shara. Mr. al-Shara’s newly formed government was more inclusive than one would expect from someone who founded a branch of al-Qaeda, the official said, but there were still concerns about minorities and foreign terrorist fighters.
Ben Hubbard contributed reporting from Istanbul.
