Ahmed al-Sharaa will deliver a speech before the UN General Assembly, becoming the first Syrian leader to address the UNGA since President Nureddin al-Atassi in 1967.
Despite remaining under UN sanctions and a travel ban due to his jihadist background, Sharaa was granted an exemption to attend the event. All of his international trips require prior approval from the UN Security Council.
Sharaa came to power in December after his Islamist coalition overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, ending nearly 14 years of civil war and over 50 years of authoritarian rule by the Assad family. However, the regiime change is far from having brought peace and security to Syrians, in particular not the the country’s ethnic and religious minorities.
Since assuming office, Sharaa has held high-level meetings with Western leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaibani has arrived in Washington, D.C., for talks focused on ongoing negotiations with Israel and the potential lifting of remaining U.S. sanctions on Syria. While Syria and Israel remain technically at war, direct negotiations began following Assad’s ouster, and officials from both sides have met several times in recent months.
Shaibani said Syria expects to finalize security and military agreements with Israel later this year – an outcome that would represent a historic breakthrough in Middle Eastern diplomacy.
