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.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would pursue the progressive lifting of European Union sanctions against Syria if Syria stuck to its current path, and added he would lobby the United States to also follow suit in this regard.

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.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Paris on Wednesday, his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, as he seeks international support for his efforts to bring greater stability to his war-shattered country.