France raises flag at its embassy in Damascus: Reports

​​​​​​​By Nur Asena Erturk

France raised its flag at its Damascus Embassy on Tuesday, according to media reports.

France’s Special Envoy to Syria Jean-Francois Guillaume and his delegation went to the Syrian capital for the first time in 12 years, after Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot made an announcement last week, French broadcaster TF1 reported.

The delegation retook possession of the embassy, reopened its gates and the tricolor French flag was raised.

Guillaume said he could not give an exact date for the official reopening as long as security criteria were not fulfilled, according to TF1.

Barrot announced Sunday that a delegation comprised of four diplomats would go to Syria to "establish the first contact, and to measure ... the urgent needs of the Syrian population on a humanitarian level, but also to check whether the statements of this new authority … are followed by actions in the field."

France closed its embassy in March 2012, because of the Bashar Assad regime’s bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests that year.

Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8 after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.​​​​​​​