Guterres arrives in Syria for the first official visit by a UN official in 17 years United Nations News

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was under UN Security Council sanctions until last year.

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has arrived in Syria, which will be the first visit of a UN chief in 17 years.

Guterres arrived Saturday morning at Damascus International Airport, where he and his delegation met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Syrian state media reported.

During the visit, Guterres will meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former head of al-Qaeda under UN Security Council sanctions until last year.

The visit by a United Nations chief is the first since 2009, before the 14-year civil war began. It is another piece of information for al-Sharaa, who said he wanted to rebuild international relations since he took power after the 2024 ouster of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

Guterres will also hold talks with al-Shaibani, other government officials and representatives of Syrian organizations.

The visit will also include a visit to the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which is based in the Syrian Golan Heights, as part of an effort to monitor what has happened under the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

‘A stable, more inclusive Syria’

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres wants to show that Syria has an opportunity “not only to recover from the conflict, but also to lay the foundations for a future for Syria that will be stable, inclusive, and successful for all Syrians”.

Guterres is expected to be in Damascus for several days, but the full schedule of his visit has not been released by his office. He is expected to speak Syria’s new parliament on Monday.

The visit comes back a few weeks later two bombs exploded near the hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, covering the first visit to Syria by the head of the European Union since al-Assad was overthrown.

Syrian officials have said they will revealed the cell that caused it due to the explosion of bombs, the arrest of suspected members of the ISIL (ISIS) group.