🔶 UN Secretary-General arrives in Syria for a three-day visit

Syrian state media reported that António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, arrived in the country on Saturday, 3 Mordad (25 July). This is the first visit by the UN Secretary-General to Syria since before the start of the country’s internal war.

During his three-day trip, Guterres is expected to reiterate his support for the political transition process, stability, and the reconstruction of Syria.

More than a year and a half ago, officials led by Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government after 13 years of war.

SANA, Syria’s official news agency, reported that Asaad al-Shaibani, Syria’s foreign minister, welcomed Guterres and his accompanying delegation at Damascus International Airport.

Guterres is the first UN Secretary-General to go to Syria after Ban Ki-moon’s 2009 trip. The visit by the previous UN Secretary-General took place two years before the start of Syria’s internal civil war; a war which, from its beginning in 2011 until Assad’s overthrow in December 2024, left more than half a million dead.