Guterres meets Syria's Sharaa on first visit to Damascus by UN chief in 17 years

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged help for Syrian reconstruction on Saturday during the first visit to Damascus by a serving United Nations chief since 2009.

That was before the start of a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.

Why is Guterres' visit to Damascus historic?

Guterres' trip marks the first visit to Syria by a serving UN chief in 17 years, since before the country's civil war began.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Guterres at the presidential palace in Damascus, state news agency SANA said, without providing further details. Sharaa, the former head of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, was under UN Security Council terrorism-related sanctions until November 2025.

What did Guterres say during his meeting with Sharaa?

"No country emerges from a very severe conflict and rebuilds itself on its own," Guterres said after the talks, at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. "We must help Syria in its determination and resolve to do so," he added. Shaibani reiterated Syria's request for more international support, especially from the European Union, and said the talks had focused on increasing UN backing for reconstruction and a government plan to close displacement camps.

In a post on X on Saturday, describing it 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.

What is the political context of Guterres' Syria visit?

Guterres' visit is another milestone for Syria since rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, ending the war that began in 2011 and launching a transitional period steered by an Islamist-led leadership. At the time, Guterres described "the end of the Syrian dictatorship" under Assad as a sign of hope for the region. Dujarric said Guterres would underline that Syria 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."

Guterres is expected to be in Damascus for several days, though 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, overshadowing the first visit to Syria by a European Union head of state since Assad was toppled.

How is Syria's government trying to rebuild its global standing?

Sharaa's government is seeking 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 been marred by two major episodes of sectarian bloodshed that have tested Sharaa's repeated pledges to protect Syria's religious minorities. Nearly 1,500 Alawites, the sect Assad belongs to, 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 beyond Assad's longtime allies, Russia and Iran. Last year, Sharaa became the first Syrian president since 1967 to take part in the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

What is Syria's current relationship with the US and Israel?

The United States has lifted most sanctions on Syria, and 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.