Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has departed for the United States, state media reported on Sunday, on a landmark trip that will see him address the United Nations General Assembly.
State television said Sharaa was en route “to the United States of America to participate in the affairs of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York”, citing a presidency statement.
Sharaa seized power in December after his rebel group led a lightning offensive that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad after nearly 14 years of civil war and more than half a century of brutal family rule. He is set to speak at the UN General Assembly in New York, the first Syrian leader to do so since Nureddin al-Atassi in 1967.
Sharaa has undergone a dramatic transformation since taking power, meeting foreign leaders such as US President Donald Trump in Riyadh and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on his first trip to the West.
In a pre-recorded interview broadcast on Sunday, Sharaa told US broadcaster CBS that “President Trump took a big step towards Syria by lifting the sanctions with a quick, courageous and historic decision”.
“He recognised that Syria should be safe, stable and unified.” Trump lifted most US sanctions on Syria, which date back to the Syrian war and earlier, in the spring.
Sharaa added that anyone seeking to maintain sanctions on Syria would be “would be complicit in killing the Syrian people once again”.
He moreover criticised the international community for failing to halt the brutalities committed by Assad’s government.
He said, “We should be the ones asking others: why did you stand silent as these terrible crimes were taking place in Syria?”
Syria-Israel talks
The Syrian leader remains under UN sanctions and a travel ban due to his past and must request exemptions for all foreign trips. His foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, is already in Washington for an official visit.
Shaibani’s office said he held a series of meetings since his arrival, including with US senators and state department officials.
