PARIS — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz traveled to Paris on his first foreign trip as head of government to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, with the two leaders promising closer defense ties and a reboot of the French-German alliance that has been a driver of European cooperation.

New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to reset ties between their nations and join forces to help strengthen the European Union’s defensive capabilities and competitiveness.

By Sarah Marsh, Benoit Van Overstraeten and Andreas Rinke BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a reset in French-German relations to help Europe overcome the "enormous" security and economic challenges it faced during his first trip abroad since taking office to top ally France on Wednesday.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday met French leader Emmanuel Macron on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, despite alarm over deadly clashes that have overshadowed the new authorities' first months in power.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron called on the United States and the European Union to lift sanctions against Syria on Wednesday after hosting the Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on his first visit to Europe.

France's president said on Wednesday he would urge the EU to end sanctions on Syria when they come up for renewal in June and lobby the U.S. to follow suit as well as keep its troops there to ensure Syria's stability.