New York, Sept. 23 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Wednesday that Syria was rebuilding its international ties and moving toward recovery after years of war, while calling for Israeli forces to withdraw from Syrian territory.
Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President al-Sharaa said Syria had entered a new phase focused on reconstruction, economic recovery and international partnerships while maintaining its sovereignty and independent decision-making.
“On this day one year ago, I stood at this podium representing my people and my country for the first time in nearly 60 years,” President al-Sharaa said. “I recalled the victory of our people and affirmed that it was a victory for the entire world. Today, Syria is rising again, united once more.”
Syria points to renewed international ties
President al-Sharaa said nearly 100 countries had opened channels of communication with Syria since the liberation through around 4,000 meetings, contacts and engagements.
Nearly 60 diplomatic missions are now operating in Damascus, he said, as international delegations return to the country.
The president also pointed to the repeal of the Caesar Act, the gradual easing of European and British sanctions and the restoration of Syria’s cooperation agreement with the European Union as signs of the country’s emergence from international isolation.
He said the end of Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism had closed a chapter of isolation lasting 47 years.
President al-Sharaa linked the diplomatic shift to Syria’s domestic recovery, saying more than 3.5 million refugees and internally displaced Syrians had returned voluntarily.
“Syria is transforming from a crisis into an opportunity for progress around which the international community can unite,” he said.
He also highlighted Syria’s cooperation with international organizations on chemical and nuclear issues.
President al-Sharaa said 42 chemical bombs had been destroyed under an initiative involving Syria and seven other countries, and that Syria had fully restored its rights at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Syria was also cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency “with the utmost transparency,” he said.
On organized crime, President al-Sharaa said Syrian authorities had seized around 700 million Captagon pills in more than 1,500 operations and dismantled 90 international criminal networks, while also combating human trafficking and other forms of crime.
President al-Sharaa calls for Israeli withdrawal
Turning to Israel, President al-Sharaa reaffirmed Syria’s position that the Golan remains Syrian territory and said all measures aimed at annexing it were null and void under U.N. Security Council Resolution 497.
He said Israel had carried out nearly 500 air and artillery strikes against Syria, conducted more than 1,200 incursions and arrested or detained nearly 300 Syrians.
President al-Sharaa said those actions threatened Syria’s stability and ran counter to the course supported by the international community.
“Our stated position remains unchanged,” he said, reaffirming Syria’s commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and calling for Israeli forces to withdraw to the lines of Dec. 8, 2024.
President al-Sharaa said Syria’s national priorities remained anchored in the rule of law, state sovereignty and international law, adding that attempts to impose new realities would not undermine the authority of the Syrian state.
He said reconstruction and improving Syrians’ living conditions would remain central to the government’s approach as the country sought to turn its recovery into broader economic and diplomatic partnerships.
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