President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Syria is pursuing a foreign policy centered on reconstruction, stability and balanced relations with regional and international powers, while reaffirming Syria’s support for Lebanese state sovereignty, a future security arrangement with Israel that preserves Syria’s rights, and continued economic opening following the lifting of U.S. sanctions.
In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast on Sunday, President al-Sharaa said Syria’s strategic location and economic potential had been undermined by decades of isolation under the deposed regime, adding that the country’s new leadership is seeking to restore its regional and international role.
Balanced relations with major powers
The president said Syria’s relations with the United States have improved following his visit to the White House and Washington’s decision to lift sanctions, describing the development as the beginning of a positive new phase in bilateral ties.
He said Syria had also received a positive response from European countries, Russia and China, adding that Damascus had successfully conveyed its new political vision to the international community.
On Russia, President al-Sharaa said contacts began during Syria’s liberation and resulted in an agreement to limit Russia’s military presence at Hmeimim Air Base and part of the Tartous naval facility, while discussions over the future of those bases remain ongoing.
He said Syria intends to preserve the aspects of its historical relationship with Moscow that serve Syria’s interests while redefining the relationship and correcting its course.
The president also pointed to shared interests with Western countries, including trade, investment, security cooperation and the presence of large Syrian refugee communities across Europe, especially in Germany.
Lebanon and Israel
President al-Sharaa said Syria supports the Lebanese state’s exclusive authority over weapons, stressing that decades of armed groups operating outside state institutions had produced “catastrophic consequences.”
He said Hezbollah had fought alongside the deposed regime in its war against the Syrian people for 14 years, but stressed that Syria has no intention of intervening militarily in Lebanon.
Regarding Israel, the president said Syria is working to reach a security arrangement by engaging multiple countries to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel aimed at reducing tensions and preventing further conflict.
If such an agreement is achieved and respected by Israel, he said, it could create the conditions for a second stage in a comprehensive peace without compromising Syria’s right to the occupied Golan.
He also reaffirmed Syria’s support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the framework of the Arab position.
Independent regional policy
President al-Sharaa criticized regional policies based on supporting armed groups outside state authority, saying they have destabilized the Middle East.
He said countries in the region should not be forced to choose between Israeli policies and Iranian ambitions but instead pursue independent policies that reflect their own interests.
The president added that Syria deliberately avoided becoming involved in the recent confrontation between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. He referred to historical ambitions of some Iranian politicians in the Arab Gulf.
Sanctions, Gulf investment and economic recovery
President al-Sharaa said the removal of U.S. sanctions followed Saudi mediation and support from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
He stressed that lifting the Caesar Act alone would not have been sufficient without removing Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying all remaining restrictive measures should eventually be lifted, and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for implementing the policy.
The president said Gulf countries have already begun investing in Syria’s energy, airports, tourism and real estate sectors, while the government is preparing reforms to investment legislation and the banking and legal sectors.
He said approximately 3,700 new production lines have been established since the beginning of 2025, alongside infrastructure, energy and oil field rehabilitation projects, adding that economic recovery would accelerate as reconstruction progresses.
He described the experience in Idlib as a successful pilot model, citing the construction of roads, industrial and residential cities and markets operating under an economic system that produced positive results.
Domestic priorities
President al-Sharaa said rebuilding state institutions remains the government’s principal domestic priority, while emphasizing broader public participation in governance following the inaugural session of the new People’s Assembly last week.
He said more than 3.4 million displaced Syrians and refugees have returned over the past year and a half, describing their return as evidence of improving conditions.
The president also acknowledged that eastern Syria had suffered decades of neglect despite its natural resources, announcing plans for a new Damascus-Deir Ezzor highway following the completion of technical studies.
He said investigations are continuing into the recent traffic accident on the Damascus-Deir Ezzor road.
Transitional justice and the SDF
President al-Sharaa said Syria’s commission on missing persons is operating according to international standards and described the scale of oppression and disappearances under the deposed regime as “shocking.”
He pledged to prosecute senior officials of the deposed regime while ensuring accountability is carried out through legal institutions and in a manner that preserves civil peace.
On northeastern Syria, the president said the government distinguishes between the Kurdish community and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), noting that the government had granted broader citizenship and cultural rights to Kurds while reaching an agreement with the SDF after lengthy negotiations.
Although implementation has been slower than expected, he said the agreement remains an important basis for advancing national unity.
The president reiterated that the Syrian state’s position remains unchanged: preserving the country’s territorial integrity and ensuring that only state institutions possess weapons, and this position is supported by all states.
Political reform
The president said Syria is entering a new political phase marked by greater freedom of expression and future political pluralism.
“We are no longer living in an era in which the president decides everything,” President al-Sharaa said, adding that criticism is accepted, even when it is harsh, so long as it is accurate and that Syria’s future will include diverse political views.
The president concluded by saying Syria’s recovery is progressing steadily and that continued patience, confidence and gradual reform will be essential to rebuilding the country.
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