Sharaa says US visit marks Syria's return to international community

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said on Wednesday that Syria is entering "a new phase" and must be judged "by its current circumstances, not by what happened in the past", as he called for friendly ties with all nations and rejected any plan to divide the country.

Speaking at the Middle East Institute during the 80th UN General Assembly, Sharaa declared: "Syria will be with everyone and will not align with one camp against another,” calling his trip “a sign of Syria’s return to the international community after years of isolation."

He stressed that "each stage has its own conditions - and we are building strategic plans to meet today’s challenges," adding that Syria "cannot import ready-made systems from history and copy them".

Sharaa pointed to what he called tangible progress at home.

"Since Damascus was liberated, one million people have returned and Captagon exports have fallen by 90 percent," he said. "It is in no one’s interest for Syria to return to the previous scene."

Under the regime of deposed President Bashar al-Assad, over six million people fled the country due to brutal conflict, and Syria became a major exporter of the illicit amphetamine Captagon.

Calls for unity amid continued sectarian and ethnic tension

Stability, he said, required unity among Syrians of different religious and ethnic groups: “We need to implement transitional justice without frightening people or making any group feel targeted, while the state has the right to prosecute anyone who attacks civilians.”

However, Syria’s transition from Assad’s dictatorial rule has been marred by outbreaks of violence in the Alawite majority coastal area last March and the Druze majority province of Suweida in July, in which government-affiliated forces committed crimes against civilians.

Regarding Suweida, Sharaa said there had been “mistakes from all sides” and described “new efforts for reconciliation and bringing hearts together.”

Regarding northeastern Syria, he suggested Washington could play a constructive role by helping "the Kurds integrate into the Syrian army", insisting that “Syria’s stability is tied to its unity.”

Turning to regional security, Sharaa warned Israel that "force alone will not bring peace", saying any security agreement with Damascus would pave the way for other agreements that "help spread peace in the region".

 He added that Israel “must return to the situation before December 8, 2024,” and reiterated, “we have said we will not be a source of danger to anyone.”

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel unilaterally withdrew from a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria and proceeded to occupy parts of the country beyond the Golan Heights while launching hundreds of airstrikes.

First Syrian leader to visit the US in six decades

Sharaa's visit marks the first by a Syrian head of state to the United States in 60 years and features a heavy diplomatic schedule. He has already met US lawmakers, including Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Gregory Meeks, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

 He also held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as well as leaders from Italy, Jordan, Finland, and Kuwait. A long-anticipated face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was expected late on Wednesday.

Regional leaders offered cautious encouragement. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told the Assembly that Syria is “witnessing a new phase” and urged the world to “seize the opportunity and stand by Syria,” while stressing the need to “reject foreign interventions, especially attempts by Israel to divide it.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Syria "must regain its sovereignty and unity" and warned that Israel "will not achieve stability as long as it remains in perpetual war with its neighbours".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun voiced readiness for "cooperation with Syria that goes beyond the burdens of the past", thanking Saudi Arabia for helping facilitate new agreements.