Damascus, Syria. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Damascus on Saturday for the first visit to Syria by a serving UN chief since 2009, before the civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
“The United Nations stands with Syria at this pivotal moment,” Guterres said in a post on X, calling the trip a “visit of solidarity” and urging the international community to “spare no effort” in supporting the Syrian people.
Meetings in Damascus
Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa received Guterres at the presidential palace in Damascus, the state news agency SANA said.
Guterres is also due to meet Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, other government officials and representatives of Syrian civil society, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
The UN chief is expected to remain in Damascus for several days, although his office has not released the full schedule of the visit.
Transitional period
The visit is another milestone for Syria since rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, ending the war that began in 2011 and starting a transitional period led by an Islamist-led leadership.
At the time, Guterres described the end of Assad’s dictatorship as a sign of hope for the region.
Sharaa, a former head of al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, remained under terrorism-related sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council until November 2025.
UN message
Dujarric said Guterres would stress 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.”
The trip comes weeks after two bombs exploded near a Damascus hotel 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.