LONDON: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the new leader of the Syrian Arab Republic, and congratulated him on assuming the presidency.

The telephone call was the first from a head of state of an EU nation to the new leadership since Bashar Assad fled to Moscow in December amid the collapse of his family’s 54-year rule.

Macron congratulated Al-Sharaa on “liberating the country … from the Assad regime” and expressed his full support for the transition of power in Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

Macron also emphasized France’s efforts to ensure Western sanctions on Syria are lifted, and its support for the country’s territorial sovereignty. He invited Al-Sharaa to visit France in the coming weeks.

Al-Sharaa, elected president by rebel groups on Jan. 29 for the transitional phase, said Syria would play a positive role in efforts to ensure stability in the region. He thanked France for supporting the Syrian people over the past 14 years of civil war.

The leaders also discussed the security challenges facing Syria, the Assad-era international sanctions that weakened the economy, and the challenges associated with rebuilding the country.

Syria was a French colony from 1919 until 1946. During that time, Alawite and Druze minorities established small states that were eventually incorporated into the Syrian state.