PARIS (AP) — Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa is visiting Paris on Wednesday for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. It's his first trip to Europe since taking office in January, and a possible opening to broader ties with Western countries.

Al-Sharaa took power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led a dayslong offensive that toppled former President Bashar Assad in December. Assad, a member of Syria’s Alawite minority, ruled for more than two decades.

The presidential Elysee Palace said Macron will restate France’s support for “a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of its society,” while emphasizing the importance of regional stability — particularly in Lebanon — and the fight against terrorism.

The visit comes amid renewed sectarian bloodshed, coming a week after clashes between forces loyal to al-Sharaa and fighters from the minority Druze sect that left nearly 100 people dead. This followed earlier violence in Syria’s coastal region between Sunni gunmen and members of the minority Alawite sect that Assad belonged to. That fighting left more than 1,000 people dead — many of them Alawite civilians killed in revenge attacks.

Religious minorities in Syria, including Alawites, Christians and Druze, fear persecution under the predominantly Sunni Muslim-led government. Al-Sharaa has repeatedly pledged that all Syrians will be treated equally regardless of religion or ethnicity.

The 14-year conflict has killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Syria’s infrastructure lies in ruins, and international sanctions remain a major barrier to reconstruction.

The visit to Paris is being closely watched as a potential test of Europe’s willingness to engage with Syria’s new leadership.

The Trump administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government led by al-Sharaa, and HTS remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad remain in place. However, Washington eased some restrictions in January when the U.S. Treasury issued a general license, valid for six months, authorizing certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transfers.

The European Union has begun easing sanctions, suspending measures targeting Syria’s oil, gas and electricity sectors, as well as transport — including aviation — and banking restrictions.

In late April, the British government announced it was lifting sanctions on a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and state-run media outlets.