Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa has reached New York to participate in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) following the ouster of the Assad regime in December 2024.
Al-Sharaa becomes the first Syrian head of state to participate in the UNGA session in the last 60 years.
President Nureddin al-Atassi was the last Syrian leader to attend the session in 1967.
The landmark trip by Al-Sharaa comes after he met U.S. President Donald Trump at a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in May, alongside Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The first interaction between the Syrian and U.S. president in the last 25 years was seen as a diplomatic breakthrough.
Trump dropped all sanctions on Syria. He also said, ‘Washington was exploring normalising relations with Syria’s new government.”
In an interview with CBS, Syria’s president hailed Trump’s decision of lifting sanctions, stating, “Trump recognised that Syria should be safe, stable and unified. This is in the greatest interest of all the countries in the world, not just Syria.”
He hoped to have another meeting with Trump, saying, “We need to discuss a great many issues and mutual interests between Syria and the USA. We must restore relations in a good and direct way.”