Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani (L) walks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot at the Tishreen Presidential Palace in the Syrian capital Damascus on Feb. 5, 2026. (AFP)
France's foreign minister said Thursday that sustaining the fight against ISIL is an "absolute priority" for Paris, after meeting his Syrian counterpart in Damascus.
Jean-Noel Barrot is on the first stop of a regional tour as France reassesses how to tackle jihadists after Kurdish allies in Syria, who were guarding detained ISIL militants, were forced to disband under pressure from Damascus.
Barrot will move on to Iraq on Thursday afternoon before heading to Lebanon on Friday, according to the French foreign ministry.
In the Syrian capital, he met his counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, with the pair discussing how to prevent a resurgence of ISIL after the Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) withdrawal from swathes of northern Syria.
Until now, the Syrian Democratic Forces had been the main partner on the ground of a western anti-jihadist coalition, but under military pressure from Damascus they are to integrate into the Syrian army.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa who overthrew former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been seeking to impose his authority over all the country.
Other issues on Barrot's agenda will be the question of integrating Syria's myriad minorities into its new political landscape.
France has positioned itself as an advocate of Kurdish rights and will be pushing Damascus to comply with an agreement announced last week aimed at integrating SDF institutions and forces into the Syrian state.
