Relations between France and Syria have a long and complex history. The contemporary relationship largely dates back to the French mandate (1923–1946) over the region established in the midst of the defeat and subsequent Partition of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. France had an embassy in Damascus (closed down March 2012) and a consulate general in Aleppo and Latakia. Syria has an embassy in Paris and consulates in Marseille and Pointe-à-Pitre.