European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will begin an official visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Friday, according to state media.

This marks the first high-level visit by European Union leaders to Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.

State-run channel Al-Ikhbariya confirmed that “the Presidents of the European Council and Commission will begin Friday a visit to Damascus, the first of its kind.”