**DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL**
Syria and France discussed resuming operations Thursday at the French Consulate in northern Syria, following the completion of renovation works, the Aleppo governorate said on Telegram.
It came during a meeting between Aleppo Gov. Azzam al-Gharib and French Special Envoy to Syria, Jean-Francois Guillaume.
The governorate said al-Gharib welcomed Guillaume "to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in reconstruction, infrastructure development, and humanitarian assistance."
The two sides reviewed developments in Aleppo, focusing on mechanisms to increase French support for development projects to stabilize conditions in the city.
The discussions also addressed “reopening the French consulate in Aleppo upon completion of ongoing renovations, after it had been closed since 2012 due to security conditions at the time.”
Basha Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.
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