Syrians gather outside UN headquarters to welcome President Al-Sharaa in historic appearance

ISTANBUL 

Hundreds of Syrians gathered outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday to welcome President Ahmad Al-Sharaa ahead of his historic address to the UN General Assembly, the first by a Syrian head of state since 1967. 

Images released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) showed large crowds waving flags near the UN building, describing the gathering as a show of support for Sharaa. State television Al-Ikhbariya aired similar footage, calling it a welcoming rally before the president’s speech. 

Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday with several ministers to take part in the annual UN meetings, ending nearly six decades of Syrian absence from the world body’s top forum. 

Syria has boycotted the Assembly at the presidential level since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when Israel occupied the Golan Heights. Damascus long accused the UN and other international institutions of siding with Israel because of backing from the US and its Western allies. 

The last Syrian leader to attend the UN summit was former President Nureddin al-Atassi, who served from 1966 to 1970. 

Since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in late 2024, Syria’s new administration has pursued political and economic reforms while promoting social cohesion and working to expand cooperation with regional and international partners. 

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. Sharaa’s new transitional administration was formed in January.