Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday to take part in the UN General Assembly, the first president of Syria to do so in nearly six decades.
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The last time a Syrian head of state attended the General Assembly was in 1967. That was before the 50-year rule of the Assad family dynasty, which came to an end in December when then-president Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgent offensive led by Sharaa. Assad’s fall also brought to an end nearly 14 years of civil war.
Since then, Sharaa has sought to restore ties with Arab countries and the West, where officials were initially wary of his past ties with the al-Qaeda militant group. The rebel group he formerly led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was previously designated by the United States as a terrorist group.
Since assuming power, Sharaa has preached coexistence and sought to reassure Syria’s minority communities but the country’s fragile recovery has been threatened by outbreaks of sectarian violence.
Fighters affiliated with the new government were also accused of killing hundreds of civilians from the Druze and Alawite religious minorities.
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Along with his appearance at the UN General Assembly, Sharaa is likely to use his visit to push for further sanctions relief for Syria as it attempts to rebuild its war-battered economy and infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump met Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May and announced that he would lift decades of sanctions imposed on Syria under the Assads’ rule.