Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa met with European Council President Antonio Costa in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, today.
The state news agency SANA reported the meeting but did not provide any details about the content of their talks.
Costa said he heard from Al-Sharaa about the ongoing political process and the challenges that Syria faces.
“The EU is fully engaged in supporting the democratic, peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria,” he said on his X account.
The EU is fully engaged in supporting the democratic, peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria.
I had a good first exchange with the interim president of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa. It was useful to hear first hand about the ongoing political process and the challenges that Syria… pic.twitter.com/xC8CYgfS7A
— António Costa (@eucopresident) March 4, 2025
The European official said the EU attaches great importance to Syria’s territorial integrity.
“Syria has a historic opportunity to reunite and rebuild the country under an inclusive and Syrian-led political process,” he said. “I look forward to our annual Brussels Conference for Syria on 17 March with the participation of the new authorities.”
Today’s meeting was also attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani.
Al-Sharaa arrived in Cairo early today upon an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to attend an emergency Arab summit on the Gaza Strip.
This marked the first official visit by Al-Sharaa to Egypt since he was named interim president on 29 January following the overthrow of the Bashar Al-Assad regime.
The Arab summit is set to open later today to seek to formulate a unified Arab stance on the Palestinian issue and present an Arab counterproposal to US plans for the forcible displacement of Gaza’s population.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. His plan was rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.
READ: Arab leaders must embrace multipolarity to counter Trump’s Gaza plan