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 Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, before taking a tour of the old quarter of Damascus and the famous Umayyad Mosque.
Photo: Reuters
Guterres’ visit to Syria comes as the country is trying to recover from the deadly conflict that broke out in March 2011 that has left nearly half a million people dead and caused widespread destruction that would cost tens of billions of dollars to rebuild.
“I have just arrived in Damascus for a visit of solidarity,” Guterres wrote on X at the start of his three-day visit.
The UN stands with Syria at this “pivotal moment,” he added.
“I appeal to the international community to spare no effort to support the people of Syria as well,” he wrote.
Since the five-decade al-Assad family rule came to an end in December 2024, when fighters led by gunmen loyal to al-Sharaa stormed Damascus, the nation has been struggling to recover from years of conflict and the effects of crippling Western sanctions.
While the US and Europe have lifted many of the sanctions imposed during the rule of the Assad dynasty, the impact on the ground has so far been limited.
Cuts to international aid have worsened living conditions for many.
The UN estimates that 90 percent of Syria’s population lives in poverty.
The World Bank released an assessment last year that said rebuilding Syria after more than a decade of civil war is expected to cost about US$216 billion.
During his stay in Syria, Guterres is scheduled to visit the UN force deployed along the border with Israel.
After taking power, al-Sharaa said he had no desire for a conflict with Israel, but the latter was suspicious of the new Islamist-led leadership and quickly moved to take control of the buffer zone.
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