Syrian President’s Historic UN Speech Describes Country’s Path to Stability
[Damascus] The first Syrian leader to address the United Nations in more than half a century, Ahmed al-Sharaa, declared that Syria is “taking steps toward building a new phase” through the establishment of a modern state “that guarantees the rights of all its citizens without exception.”
He emphasized that Syria, with its deep-rooted history and rich culture, is “worthy of being a state of law that protects everyone, safeguards freedoms, ensures justice, closes the chapter of a bleak past and regains its dignity, pride and status.”
Al-Sharaa leveled strong accusations against the former regime, stating that it “took the lives of nearly 1 million people, tortured hundreds of thousands, displaced about 14 million citizens, and destroyed 2 million homes.” He also pointed out that the regime had used chemical weapons “in more than 200 documented attacks.”
He added that the former regime “shut the door to any political solution and relied solely on repression,” saying this pushed the Syrian people to “organize their ranks and engage in a historic confrontation that ended with the fall of a criminal system that had lasted six decades with the backing of external powers.”
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The Syrian president stressed that the victory was not merely a political change but rather “a triumph for the oppressed, the tortured and the forcibly displaced; a triumph for the mothers of martyrs and the missing; and a triumph for the future of Syria’s children.” He pointed out that the road had now opened for the return of refugees to their homes and for ending drug networks that had been operating from Syrian territory under the former regime. He said his country had been transformed from “an epicenter of crises into an opportunity for stability, peace and prosperity for the entire region.”
Al-Sharaa spoke of “division projects” that some parties attempted to push forward after the fall of the regime, explaining that these efforts “sought to ignite sectarian strife and internal conflicts.” However, he emphasized that the Syrian people, through their awareness and solidarity, “thwarted these schemes,” pledging to bring “all those whose hands are stained with the blood of innocents” to justice.
In another context, the Syrian president pointed to continuing “Israeli threats and attempts to exploit the transitional phase in ways that contradict the international stance in support of Syria,” warning that such moves could trigger “new regional conflicts with unknown limits.” He reaffirmed Damascus’ commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and urged the international community to back Syria in confronting these threats while respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Regarding the policy adopted by Damascus after the fall of the former regime, al-Sharaa explained that his country had set a clear strategy based on “balanced diplomacy, security, stability, and economic development.” He noted the restructuring of civil and military institutions “under the principle of confining arms to the state,” the launch of a new electoral process through an elected legislative council, and the restoration of international relations and regional partnerships. He also called for the complete lifting of sanctions, considering their continuation “a restriction on the Syrian people and a confiscation of their freedom once again.”
On the situation in Gaza, al-Sharaa expressed his country’s solidarity with the Palestinians, saying: “The pain that Syria has endured, we do not wish it on anyone. We are among the peoples most capable of feeling the magnitude of the catastrophe Gaza is suffering. Therefore, we affirm our support for its people and demand an immediate end to the war.”
The Syrian president concluded his speech by stressing that “the Syrian story has not yet ended,” emphasizing that the country is now opening a new chapter titled “peace, prosperity and development.”
