Syrian Leader al-Sharaa Arrives at UN for Historic Visit

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in New York on September 21 to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly. This is the first visit by a Syrian leader to this most important global platform in almost six decades. It symbolizes a change not so much in Syria, but in the attitude of the power centers towards Syria.

The last time a Syrian president participated in the General Assembly was in 1967, before the 50-year rule of the Assad family dynasty. That dynasty's rule ended in December 2024, when an insurgent attack led by al-Sharaa overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. Assad's fall also ended the nearly 14-year civil war.

Since coming to power, Ahmad al-Sharaa has sought to restore relations with Arab countries and the West, where officials were initially wary of his past ties to the al-Qaeda militant group. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group he formerly led was previously recognized by the United States as a terrorist organization.

Al-Sharaa has adopted a policy of coexistence and is trying to inspire confidence in Syria's minority communities. But the country's fragile recovery is threatened by outbreaks of sectarian violence. Militants associated with the new government have been accused of killing hundreds of civilians from the Druze and Alawite religious minorities.

Al-Sharaa is expected to use his visit to demand further easing of sanctions against Syria to rebuild the war-torn economy and infrastructure. US President Donald Trump met him in Saudi Arabia in May and announced his intention to lift the decades-old sanctions imposed under the Assads. However, the toughest sanctions, imposed by the Caesar Act passed by Congress in 2019, can only be finally lifted by a vote of Congress.

An important topic during the visit will also be relations with US ally Israel. Since Assad's fall, Israel has been suspicious of al-Sharaa's government. It has seized the formerly UN-controlled buffer zone in southern Syria and has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian military facilities. Negotiations are underway on a security agreement that, according to al-Sharaa, could lead to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syria. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday downplayed the likelihood of progress, saying an agreement was "still a vision for the future."

Meanwhile, Syria's electoral commission has announced that the first parliamentary elections since Assad's fall will be held on October 5. However, the deputies will not be elected by direct popular vote, but by a system of an electoral college.