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. View on euro

PARIS — 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.

While already planned, the trip comes only a day after Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on the second round of voting. His unprecedented failure to succeed on the first round underscored disunity in the coalition of his conservatives and Social Democrats.