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DIPLOMACY

Guterres to visit Syria this week


Guterres to visit Syria this week

The U.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, during a press conference held at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, on March 14, 2026. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to Syria later this week and meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the international organization announced Tuesday in a statement. This will be Guterres’ first visit to Syria as U.N. secretary-general.

Since the regime change in December 2024, Syria has been seeking to emerge from several years of diplomatic isolation, but the new government faces many challenges. French President Emmanuel Macron was the first Western leader to visit Damascus on July 8. A bombing occurred during his presence in the Syrian capital, later attributed to the Islamic State (IS) group.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will travel to Syria later this week and meet with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the international organization announced Tuesday in a statement. This will be Guterres’ first visit to Syria as U.N. secretary-general.

Since the regime change in December 2024, Syria has been seeking to emerge from several years of diplomatic isolation, but the new government faces many challenges. French President Emmanuel Macron was the first Western leader to visit Damascus on July 8. A bombing occurred during his presence in the Syrian capital, later attributed to the Islamic State (IS) group.