The UN “stands with Syria at this pivotal moment,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said as he arrived in Damascus, the first visit by a UN chief to the country since Ban Ki-moon in 2009.
“I have just arrived in Damascus for a visit of solidarity,” Guterres said on X on Saturday.
“My message is clear: The UN stands with Syria at this pivotal moment & I appeal to the international community to spare no effort to support the people of Syria as well.”
Guterres met President Ahmed al Sharaa at the People's Palace, visited the Umayyad Mosque and toured the city's Old Quarter, accompanied by Syria's permanent representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi.
Alikhbariah TV said the meeting between al Sharaa and Guterres began shortly after the UN chief arrived in the Syrian capital on his three-day visit. He was received at Damascus International Airport by Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani.
The visit includes talks with President Ahmed al Sharaa, senior officials, civil society representatives and members of the country's newly established transitional parliament.
Backing Syria's transition
The UN chief is expected to reaffirm the organisation's support for Syria's political transition and reconstruction efforts at what UN Special Envoy Claudio Cordone described as a "defining period" in the country's history.
In addition to meetings with government officials, Guterres will hold talks with civil society groups and organisations supporting women's issues, underscoring the UN's broader engagement beyond state institutions.
Focus on regional security
Guterres is also scheduled to visit the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where peacekeepers have monitored the Syria-Israel ceasefire line since 1974.
The visit comes as Syria seeks to rebuild ties with the international community and stabilise the country following more than a decade of conflict and political upheaval.
The conflict killed more than half a million people and displaced millions before regime leader Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.
