In an intervention on I24News, the Franco-Syrian writer Omar Youssef Souleimane did not mince his words concerning the controversial reception of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa at the Élysée. This testimony offers a rare and deeply personal perspective on the implications of this diplomatic visit which has caused a lot of ink to flow.
“Anger.” It is by this word, rehearsed with force, that the writer immediately summarized his state of mind. A anger fed by the bitter observation that nothing has changed in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad: “The Syrian population is still under censorship, censorship on individual freedom. The violations are daily.” Souleimane, who maintains regular contacts with Syria, draws up a particularly dark picture of the current situation, notably evoking the massacres perpetrated against the Alawite and Druze communities since March 2025. “I am in contact with young Syrians belonging to several communities, especially Christians, Alawites and Druzes, and they all seek to escape Syria,” emotion. It is in this context that the writer made a judgment without appeal to the reception of Al-Sharaa: “I consider this as a victory for the jihadists, not only in Syria but in the whole world.” His most scathing sentence resonates like a thunderclap: “The jihadists rejoice because they humiliated France.” For the Franco-Syrian author, this visit sends a disastrous message: “It is as if this visit gives legitimacy to jihadism, that is to say even despite their crimes against humanity, once in power, they can go to the Élysée.” A betrayal, in his eyes, of the fundamental values of the Republic: “to universalist France, to the France of Victor Hugo, to the France of Voltaire, I find that it is [une trahison] Not only for France but for all humanity. “
As for the motivations for this controversial reception, Souleimane suggests that Emmanuel Macron seeks to restore France a leading role in the Middle East, in line with what Nicolas Sarkozy had attempted in 2008 by receiving Bashar al-Assad. “Emmanuel Macron wants France to play a massive role in the Middle East as part of the stability of relations, especially with Lebanon, and not to leave Turkey and Qatar only players on this field.” However, the writer believes that the French president is wrong: “I think that Al-Sharaa is the worst person with which you have to collaborate.” He notably underlines that the current Syrian leader is only an Ankara puppet: “Behind the image of Al-Sharaa, there is the face of Erdogan.” Faced with this complex situation, Omar Youssef Souleimane only sees a possible outcome for his country of origin: “I think that it is necessary to focus on the Federation of Syria, having a federal and non -central state. I think it is the best solution to take Syria towards calm.”
