Eurasia Press & News
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday, leading a senior delegation to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The visit marks the first by a Syrian head of state to the United States since President Nur al-Din al-Atasi addressed the UN in June 1967, following the Arab defeat in the Six-Day War.
According to Syria’s presidential media office, Sharaa’s five-day visit includes a series of high-level meetings and an address to the General Assembly. State television reported that he is accompanied by at least four ministers, underscoring the significance of the delegation. On Sunday evening, he was also scheduled to meet with members of the Syrian diaspora in the U.S.
Historic Diplomatic Opening
The visit comes amid sweeping changes in Syria’s political landscape since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. Sharaa — formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani during his leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — assumed power after spearheading “Operation Deterrence of Aggression.” His ascent has been framed as a turning point, ending decades of authoritarian rule and reintroducing Syria to the realm of international diplomacy.
The U.S. dimension of the visit is particularly significant. It follows Sharaa’s meeting with President Donald Trump in Riyadh on 14 May, during which Trump described him as a “charismatic, strong, and resilient fighter” and announced his intention to lift all U.S. sanctions on Syria, including those under the Caesar Act. CBS News reported last week that preparations are underway for a follow-up meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA.
Interview with CBS 60 Minutes
In a preview of an upcoming interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Sharaa described Trump’s move to lift sanctions as “a big step toward Syria” and urged the international community not to conspire in “killing Syrians again by obstructing this decision.” He called for the full restoration of U.S.–Syrian relations. “We must rebuild ties directly and properly. I hope to meet President Trump again to move this forward,” he said.
Sharaa claimed his government had “restored hope to refugees and displaced people so they can return home,” while warning of the risks posed by international hesitation over sanctions relief.
Regional Balancing Act
In recent comments to Turkey’s Milliyet newspaper, Sharaa warned that failure to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the national army by the end of the year could trigger Turkish intervention. He accused both the SDF and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of stalling the implementation of the March 10 framework agreement and rejected federalism or decentralisation as “a cover for separatist ambitions.”
On the security front, Sharaa confirmed that Damascus has engaged in contact with Israel to revive the 1974 disengagement agreement signed after the October War. He accused Israel of exploiting the post-Assad instability to push for Syria’s partition, while reiterating Damascus’s commitment to the pact and its efforts to restore the pre–8 December status quo.
A New Image Abroad
As Sharaa prepares to deliver his address to the UN, he is expected to present Syria as a country reborn — no longer defined by conflict, narcotics, or displacement, but by sovereignty, stability and international engagement. However, his overtures to Israel, warnings to the SDF and increasingly strained relations with Iran reflect the delicate balancing act facing Damascus as it navigates regional rivalries and shifting global dynamics.
Sharaa’s presence in New York, nearly six decades after the last Syrian presidential visit, represents both a dramatic diplomatic re-entry and a bold attempt by a transitional Syria to redefine its place on the world stage.
Shibani in DC
Meanwhile, al-Ikhbariya reported that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani expressed optimism on Friday that the United States will lift all sanctions imposed on Syria, including the Caesar Act, during a landmark visit to Washington — the first by a Syrian foreign minister in 25 years.
Speaking to reporters after raising the Syrian flag over Damascus’s embassy in the U.S. capital, Shibani said: “We are optimistic that all sanctions on Syria, including the Caesar Act, will be lifted.” He also underlined that any potential agreement with Israel would be pursued solely “in the interest of the Syrian people and to end Israeli aggression against Syria.”
The visit marks a symbolic and substantive shift in relations between Damascus and Washington. Shibani’s meetings with U.S. officials at the Departments of State and Treasury, as well as with a wide group of senators and representatives from both parties, opened direct diplomatic channels long severed since the late 1990s.
Among those he met were senior senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), and James Risch (R-Idaho), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Discussions focused on lifting sanctions, re-integrating Syria into the global economy, and bolstering regional stability.
Senator Shaheen, in a statement, said it was time for Congress to act: “The continuation of sanctions prevents the investments essential for reviving Syria’s economy and risks pushing the country back into conflict. Syria’s stability is vital to both regional and international security.”
Focus on Sanctions Relief and Economic Recovery
In a bipartisan session that included senators Roger Wicker, Chris Coons, Joni Ernst, Jacky Rosen, Markwayne Mullin, and Richard Blumenthal, lawmakers underscored a shared interest in a stable and prosperous Syria. Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) echoed those sentiments, declaring that Congress must move toward a full repeal of the Caesar Act.
Talks with Treasury officials, attended by U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack, concentrated on reconnecting Syria to the global financial system in a “responsible and secure manner” while strengthening cooperation against terrorist financing.
Shibani also met Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, who said U.S.–Syrian relations had been frozen for decades but were now changing under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to Landau, talks covered Syria’s future, its relations with Israel, the March 10 agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces, counterterrorism, and economic opportunities. He described the moment as “a historic opportunity for Syria to build a peaceful, prosperous, and sovereign state.”
The visit culminated in the raising of the Syrian flag at the embassy in Washington, a ceremony that the Syrian Foreign Ministry described as “a historic moment.” Posting on the platform X, Shibani declared: “After decades of absence, today the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic flies proudly above our embassy in Washington. With pride and dignity, I represent a people who endured and a homeland that never broke. Syria is back.”
The visit sets the stage for further high-level engagement as Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa prepares to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York — the first appearance by a Syrian head of state at the UN since 1967.
