Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa will pay an official visit to the White House, in a historic first, to help open a “new chapter” in relations between Damascus and Washington, said the nation’s foreign minister on Sunday.
“President Ahmad al-Sharaa will be at the White House at the start of November,” Asaad al-Shaibani said in a speech in the Gulf state of Bahrain.
“Of course, this is a historic visit. It is the first visit by a Syrian president to the White House in more than 80 years,” Shaibani said.
US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, who also serves as US ambassador to Türkiye, told Axios that the visit will take place in the second week of the month, on Nov. 10.
The US visit will take up several topics, with significant focus on the lifting of economic sanctions and reconstruction of post-war Syria, the minister said.
The Syrian delegation will also address the counter-ISIS (Daesh) efforts with the White House, as it is not “the sole responsibility of Syria,” but rather “an international threat that cannot be dealt with only by the Syrian government.”
The foreign minister stressed that Syria seeks to open “a new chapter” and establish “good relations” with the US.
Regarding Israeli attacks on Syria, Shaibani noted that over 1,000 cross-border raids have been recorded since Dec. 8 under an expansionist policy conducted by Tel Aviv, which is “not acceptable and cannot be justified.”
In recent months, the Israeli army has staged several cross-border raids into Syria’s southern provinces, despite international calls for halting violations of Syria’s sovereignty.
After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.
Shaibani reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and stressed that Damascus “doesn’t want to engage in a new war.”
“We do not want Syria to be a center of polarization, but rather a unified path for all, building its relations on cooperation and openness,” he said.
The top diplomat called on neighboring countries and allies in the region to support Syria’s reconstruction, “which will be reflected not only in our stability and prosperity, but also in benefit and peace for the entire region.”
Syria has been working to revive the country’s economy by attracting investors and signing trade agreements with regional states and companies after Assad fled to Russia in late 2024, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long rule since 1963.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.