France’s “absolute priority” remains the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday (5 February) during talks with his Syrian counterpart in Damascus, as Paris reassesses its counter-terrorism strategy.
Barrot met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani as part of a regional tour that will also take him to Iraq later on Thursday and Lebanon on Friday, according to the French foreign ministry.
“For 10 years, France has fought relentlessly and mercilessly against the terrorists of Daesh in Iraq as well as in Syria,” Barrot said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
“I have come to reaffirm this absolute priority of France here in Syria,” he added.
The visit comes weeks after Syrian government forces moved to reassert control over swathes of northeastern Syria, previously overseen by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had been guarding thousands of detained IS fighters and their families.
Analysts say Western officials fear the reconfiguration of security arrangements could create security gaps. They warn this could allow Islamic State militants to regroup or escape, raising concerns about a possible resurgence of the jihadist group.
Until now, the SDF had served as the main on-the-ground partner of the Western-led anti-IS coalition. Under pressure from Damascus, the Kurdish-led force is now set to integrate into the Syrian army, altering the balance of cooperation against IS.
A French diplomatic source said Western powers would need to work with Syria’s government to contain the IS threat but warned of limited trust, citing Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s past as a jihadist.
“This is not the same history, the same reflexes developed together, or the same bonds of trust,” the source said.
Al-Sharaa, who overthrew former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has sought to consolidate control over the entire country, including Kurdish-held areas in the north and northeast.
Barrot’s discussions in Damascus also covered the integration of Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities into the country’s emerging political order.
France, which has long positioned itself as a defender of Kurdish rights, is expected to press Damascus to honour an agreement announced last week on integrating Kurdish institutions and forces into the Syrian state.
That deal effectively ended Kurdish hopes of preserving the autonomous administration they established during Syria’s civil war, which ravaged the country between 2011 and 2024.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 6th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump gave his “complete and total endorsement” of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday (5 February) ahead of Japan’s national election on Sunday, backing the country’s first female premier as she seeks a fresh mandate for controversial spending plans.
The U.S. and China are locked in a growing struggle over critical minerals, the materials that power everything from electric vehicles and microchips to missiles and advanced radar systems, as both sides move to secure control over supply chains that underpin economic and military power.
Greek authorities said they have arrested a member of the armed forces on suspicion of leaking highly sensitive military information to foreign handlers allegedly linked to China.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled a new underground ballistic missile base on Wednesday (4 February), just over a day before the start of mediated nuclear negotiations with the United States, slated for Friday in Oman.
Rivers and reservoirs across Spain and Portugal were on the verge of overflowing on Wednesday as a new weather front pounded the Iberian peninsula, compounding damage from last week's Storm Kristin.
Morocco has evacuated more than 100,000 people from four provinces after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods across several northern regions, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization has added the Nipah virus to its list of the world’s top 10 priority diseases, alongside COVID-19 and the Zika virus, warning that its epidemic potential highlights the global risk posed by fast-spreading outbreaks.
Uzbekistan is accelerating plans to expand uranium production and deepen international nuclear cooperation, positioning the sector as a pillar of long-term industrial growth and resource security.
Georgia and the United States have held a rare high-level meeting in Washington, reopening cautious discussion about relations after years of political stagnation.
Using art as a quiet alarm, a new exhibition in Baku is drawing attention to endangered wildlife and the need for environmental responsibility.
The United States and Iran are set to hold nuclear talks in Oman on Friday after Tehran requested a change of venue and a strictly bilateral, nuclear-focused format, a move that is fuelling questions about Iran’s negotiating strategy.
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The joint awarding of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Abu Dhabi on 4 February underscores a shared commitment to peace and reconciliation, political analyst Fuad Karimli told AnewZ.
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