New York, May 15 (SANA) Syria’s permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Ibrahim Olabi, said Friday during a Security Council session in New York on developments in the situation in Syria, that transitional‑justice process is moving forward as one of the pillars of the new Syria, noting that public trials have begun for several individuals accused of grave violations against Syrians.
He added that Syria has achieved the largest global improvement in 2026 on the World Press Freedom Index, climbing 36 places and marking a major step toward greater media freedoms.
Olabi emphasized that steps to complete the rebuilding of national institutions are ongoing, highlighting the Higher Commission for the People’s Assembly elections’ issuance of the final list of sub‑committees in Hasakah Governorate as an additional step toward restoring political and institutional life. He also said that more than 3.5 million refugees and internally displaced persons have returned to Syria, while the government continues working to close the internal displacement file.
Olabi described “new Syria” as having opened its doors to multibillion‑dollar investments, marking a clear shift from recovery to strategic partnerships. He cited the launch of the first national investment forum, the move into actual implementation of the offshore project with Chevron and the Union Construction Company (UCC), and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy, and ConocoPhillips to explore Syria’s offshore block. He also pointed to the launch of the first e‑payment trials with Visa and Mastercard, which he said strengthens Syria’s reintegration into the global economy after decades of disconnection.
On security, Olabi accused Israeli occupation of deepening its aggressive policies toward Syria and repeatedly violating international law and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. He added that Syria still faces terrorism‑related threats, referencing the killing of two soldiers and injury of others in an ISIS attack in rural Hasakah, as well as the government’s thwarting of a major plot and dismantling of a Hezbollah‑linked cell planning assassinations.
Olabi concluded by saying that Syria has moved from the site of a tragedy to the site of opportunity, stressing that the new Syria is writing its own story through its people and calling on the world not to write it for them, but to support them as partners in achieving justice, consolidating stability, safeguarding dignity, and building prosperity.
KhA / HH
