Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara met in Damascus on Friday with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA. She is the highest-ranking European official to visit Syria since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

SANA reported that al-Shara met with the President of the European Council António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, along with their accompanying delegation, at the People’s Palace in Damascus.

During the meeting, they discussed ways to develop cooperation between the Syrian Arab Republic and the European Union, particularly in the areas of reconstruction, stabilization efforts in Syria and the region, economic partnerships, sustainable development, as well as humanitarian issues and asylum matters in Europe, according to the Syrian presidency.

Both sides also confirmed the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and expanding political dialogue in a way that serves the interests of the Syrian people and supports building a balanced and constructive partnership with the European Union.

The visit comes as part of a regional tour by European officials that also includes Jordan and Lebanon, and as the city of Aleppo in northern Syria witnessed deadly clashes in recent days between Kurdish forces and government troops, which left more than 20 people dead and forced thousands to flee.

A Jordanian-European meeting on Thursday affirmed support for a “peaceful” and “inclusive” transitional phase in Syria.

European delegation in Syria (SANA).

A joint statement issued after a meeting between King Abdullah II, the President of the European Council, and the President of the European Commission said both sides support efforts aimed at achieving stability, reconciliation, institution-building, reconstruction, and socio-economic recovery in Syria.

The statement added that “comprehensive transitional justice reform and security sector reform” are “key areas for the success of a transitional process that protects all Syrians from different ethnic and religious backgrounds without discrimination.”

The European Union lifted economic sanctions on Syria in May, and several European officials have visited Damascus since Assad’s fall. In March, the EU pledged nearly €2.5 billion in aid to Syria for 2025 and 2026.

After several days of clashes between Kurdish forces and government troops in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh districts, Syrian authorities announced a ceasefire in preparation for relocating Kurdish fighters from those districts toward areas held by the Kurdish self-administration in northeastern Syria.