ByREUTERS

JULY 25, 2026 12:11

Updated: JULY 25, 2026 15:29

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres committed support for Syrian rebuilding efforts on Saturday in the first trip to Damascus by a serving United Nations leader since 2009, prior to the civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa welcomed Guterres at the presidential palace in Damascus, state news agency SANA reported, without offering additional specifics.

No country emerges from a very severe conflict and rebuilds itself on its own, Guterres stated after the discussions with Sharaa during a joint press conference alongside Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

We must help Syria in its determination and resolve to do so, Guterres continued.

Shaibani repeated Syria's call for greater assistance from the international community, especially the European Union. He noted that Guterres' discussions with Sharaa, which Shaibani joined, centered on expanding UN backing for reconstruction and a government initiative to close displacement camps.

Sharaa, the former leader of al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, remained under terrorism-related sanctions from the UN Security Council until November 2025.

Visit marks milestone for Syrian leadership

Guterres' trip stands as another key achievement for Syria since rebels removed President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, ending the conflict that began in 2011 and starting a transitional phase guided by an Islamist-led administration.

At that time, Guterres described the end of the Syrian dictatorship under Assad as a sign of hope for the region.

In an X post on Saturday for what he described as a visit of solidarity, Guterres said the United Nations stands with Syria at this pivotal moment.

Guterres will also meet other government officials and representatives of Syrian civil society and is expected to address the country's parliament on Monday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said earlier this week.

He will highlight that the country has an opportunity not only to recover from conflict, but also to lay the foundations for a future for Syria that will be more stable, more inclusive, and more prosperous for all Syrians, Dujarric said.

Syria reengages on global stage

Guterres is expected to remain in Damascus for several days, but the full schedule of his visit has not been released by his office.

He is visiting just weeks after two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, casting a shadow over the first visit to Syria by a European Union head of state since Assad was toppled.

Sharaa's government is working to rebuild Syria's international ties and economy after nearly 14 years of war and decades of isolation under Assad family rule.

The transition has faced two major episodes of sectarian violence that have tested Sharaa's repeated pledges to protect Syria's religious minorities.

Nearly 1,500 Alawites, the sect that Assad is from, were killed in Syria's coastal region last year by government-aligned factions, and hundreds of Syrians from the Druze minority were killed months later in the south.

Guterres expressed alarm over both bouts of violence and has called for accountability.

Sharaa, who broke ties with al Qaeda in 2016, led an alliance of Islamist rebel factions that ousted Assad in a lightning offensive in December 2024.

Since taking power, his government has sought to re-establish Syria's diplomatic ties to expand beyond Assad's longtime allies, Russia and Iran.

Last year, Sharaa became the first Syrian president since 1967 to take part in the UN General Assembly in New York.

The United States has lifted most sanctions on Syria, and US President Donald Trump informed Sharaa earlier this month that he intended to remove Syria from Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Guterres is also expected during his trip to visit a UN peacekeeping force that has maintained a buffer zone between Israeli and Syrian forces for decades, Dujarric said.

Israeli troops have occupied new areas in southern Syria after Assad was ousted. Damascus has demanded they withdraw and return to a 1974 disengagement agreement.