Emmanuel Macron. Source: REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
On December 24, France’s President Emmanuel Macron regretted U.S. President Donald Trump decision to withdraw American forces from Syria and said that “an ally should be dependable,” in a sign to the alliance between the US-led coalition and the local Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“To be allies is to fight shoulder to shoulder. It’s the most important thing for a head of state and head of the military,” Macron said during a news conference in Chad, according to the Reuters news agency.
The French leader added that the US-led coalition “shouldn’t forget” what it owes to the SDF, which has been fighting under the coalition’s banner for three years now.
Two days ago, a delegation of the SDF visited the French capital and met with high ranking officials to discuss the upcoming withdrawal of U.S. forces from northeastern Syria. The delegation asked France to establish a no-fly zone over the region. However, France didn’t make any promises.
Local observers believe that France will not be able to maintain a significant military presence in Syria on its own due to the complexity of the situation there. This may push the European country into a partnership with Russia. The two countries already worked on delivering aid to government-held areas few months ago.
