Damascus, Sept. 22 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa returns to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week a year after his first appearance there, with Syria facing a markedly different diplomatic landscape following the removal of major restrictions and an expansion of international ties.
Between the two visits, Damascus has reopened diplomatic missions, received senior foreign delegations and expanded relations with Gulf and European states, while several sanctions and international restrictions that had constrained Syria’s engagement abroad were lifted.
The changes give Syria’s participation in the 81st UN General Assembly a different context from September 2025, when President al-Sharaa’s visit was largely focused on restoring Syria’s presence at the highest levels of international diplomacy.
Sanctions and international restrictions lifted
One of the most significant changes came at the United Nations.
On November 6, 2025, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2799, removing President al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the sanctions list.
Syria subsequently joined the international coalition against ISIS as its 90th member and participated for the first time in a coalition meeting in Riyadh in February 2026.
The United States repealed the Caesar Act on December 18, 2025, followed by further changes to restrictions on Syria during 2026.
Syria was removed in May from the U.S. list of countries deemed not fully cooperating with counterterrorism efforts. President Donald Trump later notified Congress of his intention to end Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism before Washington formally removed the country from the list on August 24.
The easing of restrictions was followed by signs of financial reintegration, with international Visa and Mastercard payment operations beginning in Syria on August 27 after years of disruption.
Progress on longstanding international files
Syria also moved to address longstanding files with international organizations.
On July 9, the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons restored Syria’s rights and privileges under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The OPCW said the decision followed steps by the Syrian authorities to cooperate with its Technical Secretariat on unresolved issues surrounding the chemical weapons program inherited from the deposed regime.
Relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency also advanced. President al-Sharaa received IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in July, followed by further cooperation during Grossi’s visit in August.
Days before the latest UN General Assembly meetings, the IAEA Board of Governors agreed to close the longstanding non-compliance item concerning Syria, ending a process that had remained on its agenda for 15 years.
UN engagement also increased. Secretary-General António Guterres visited Damascus in July, the first visit by a UN secretary-general since 2009, for talks covering humanitarian assistance, early recovery and reconstruction.
In August, the UN General Assembly adopted a Syrian initiative designating December 19 as an international day honoring women searching for missing persons, marking the first draft resolution submitted by Syria to the United Nations in its modern history.
Diplomatic representation expands
The political opening was accompanied by the restoration and expansion of diplomatic representation.
The Syrian Embassy in London resumed operations in November 2025, while Belarus reopened its embassy in Damascus in April 2026.
Syria reopened its embassy in Tripoli in August after more than 14 years, while Denmark restored its diplomatic presence in Damascus after closing its embassy in 2012.
On September 6, President al-Sharaa received the credentials of seven ambassadors representing Saudi Arabia, the Vatican, the European Union, Brazil, Greece, Sweden and Denmark.
A day later, the Arab League Council lifted political, economic and social sanctions imposed on the Syrian state and its institutions, while maintaining measures against officials of the ousted regime.
Gulf and European ties widen
Syria also expanded high-level engagement with Gulf and European governments.
President Al-Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in April, holding talks with their leaders focused on bilateral relations, economic cooperation and investment.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Damascus in July, the first visit by a French president to Syria since 2009. The visit included the launch of joint economic committees and the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding.
Syria and Germany also established a joint committee in July, creating a formal framework for bilateral cooperation.
High-level foreign visits to Damascus increased during the year. Representatives of all 15 UN Security Council members visited Syria in December 2025, while European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Damascus in January.
President al-Sharaa also visited Germany and the United Kingdom, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travelled to Damascus in April for talks that included an agreement to reopen the two countries’ embassies.
New York 2025: Where the diplomatic cycle began
The diplomatic cycle began during President al-Sharaa’s first UN General Assembly visit in September 2025, the first participation by a Syrian president in the gathering since 1967.
During his stay in New York between September 22 and 25, al-Sharaa held 22 bilateral and multilateral meetings with leaders and senior officials, including U.S. President Donald Trump, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The New York meetings were followed by further international engagements, including talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and meetings with world leaders during COP30 in Brazil.
Al-Sharaa then met Trump at the White House on November 10, marking the first visit by a Syrian president to the White House since Syria’s independence.
A year later, the focus of Syria’s New York diplomacy has shifted. The 2025 visit came as Damascus sought to restore high-level international contacts; the 2026 visit follows the lifting of several restrictions, renewed engagement with international institutions and a broader network of diplomatic and economic relationships.
The latest UN General Assembly meetings will provide the next measure of how those changes translate into deeper political, economic and reconstruction partnerships.
KA/MF
