Guterres First UN Chief to Visit Syria in 17 Years
Guterres will reaffirm U.N. support for Syria’s transition and recovery as the country seeks to rebuild ties after years of war.
- On Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Damascus, marking the first visit by a serving U.N. chief to Syria since the start of a nearly 14-year war that killed hundreds of thousands.
- The visit follows the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, as the government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa seeks to rebuild international ties after more than 13 years of conflict and isolation.
- Guterres will meet President al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, then visit U.N. peacekeepers stationed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 1974 to review the buffer zone.
- Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres will "reaffirm the role of the United Nations is to accompany and support the Syrian people on this journey," emphasizing reconstruction opportunities.
- Israel maintains a "security zone" in southern Syria following Assad's overthrow, while sectarian violence against Alawites and Druze minorities has tested President al-Sharaa's pledges to protect religious communities.
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109 Articles
In Damascus, UN Chief Asks World to Support Syrians
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the international community on Saturday to support the people of Syria and criticized Israel's actions in the country's south as he began his first visit to the Arab nation of his tenure. Guterres' visit is also the first by a UN secretary-general to Damascus,...
La Nación, Grupo Nación
El EconomistaGuterres' predecessor as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had visited the country in 2009, two years before the beginning of the civil war
For the first time since 2009, a Secretary General of the United Nations has travelled to Damascus, where Guterres spoke to the Syrian interim president. He also visited the notorious Saidnaja military facility.
For the first time after more than 15 years, a UN Secretary-General visited Syria. He assured the destroyed country of the UN's aid in reconstruction. He also called on Israel to respect Syria's territory and to completely withdraw the Israeli military from it.
UN chief makes first visit to Syria, calls for support
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his first visit to Syria as UN chief yesterday appealed to the international community to support Syrians. His visit is the first by a UN secretary-general to the Syrian capital since 2009. Shortly after his arrival, Guterres held talks with Syrian Interi
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