Syria's Sharaa to visit US in September for UN address: report

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to visit New York in September to attend and address the United Nations General Assembly, in what would be the first appearance by a Syrian head of state at the UN since 1967, Syria TV reported on Tuesday.

The visit follows a historic meeting between al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump in Riyadh in May 2025, which was the first direct encounter between US and Syrian leaders in over 25 years.

The meeting, brokered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was widely seen as a turning point in US policy toward Syria and a key enabler of al-Sharaa’s upcoming UN appearance.

In a surprise move ahead of the meeting, Trump announced the full lifting of US sanctions on Syria, a decision that caught even his own advisers off guard.

Al-Sharaa welcomed the announcement, calling it a "historic and courageous decision" that would "alleviate the suffering of the people, contribute to their rebirth, and lay the foundations for stability in the region".

The sanctions had long stifled Syria's economy and were initially imposed in response to the Assad regime’s brutal repression during the country’s civil war.

Saudi Arabia's role was central in making the Riyadh summit happen. Beyond facilitating the meeting, the Saudis positioned it within broader regional efforts to reshape alliances and promote diplomatic normalisation, including with Israel.

During their talks, Trump reportedly urged al-Sharaa to normalise ties with Israel, following the example of the Abraham Accords. Al-Sharaa is said to have expressed cautious openness, contingent on conditions such as the removal of foreign fighters from Syrian territory and the expulsion of armed Palestinian groups.

Al-Sharaa, once a senior figure in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and previously linked to al-Qaeda, has spent recent years trying to rebrand himself as a pragmatic national leader. His meeting with Trump, despite pushback from some in Washington and in Israel over his militant past, gave him a significant boost in legitimacy on the world stage.

The upcoming UN speech is expected to signal Syria's push for reintegration into the international community. However, the Trump administration has stressed that continued engagement was conditional. Sanctions relief and diplomatic support hinge on Syria meeting specific demands, including cooperation on counterterrorism and exclusion of foreign and non-state actors from governance.