US grants visa to Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara for UN General Assembly visit

High-level Syrian diplomatic sources informed The Media Line that the US has granted an entry visa to Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara to visit the country between September 21-25.

According to the sources, al-Shara will be accompanied on this trip by Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaybani and Syria’s new United Nations Ambassador, Ibrahim al-Halbi.

Al-Shara is scheduled to deliver an official speech during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 24. This will mark al-Shara’s first appearance at the UN since taking office.

According to the sources, preparations are also underway for a bilateral meeting between al-Shara and US President Donald Trump during the General Assembly session. This meeting is attracting significant interest for the signals it could send about the future of relations between Damascus and Washington.

The Syrian leader will also visit the Turkish House in New York, considered the center for many Turkish diplomatic missions, along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Recent diplomatic efforts by Saudi Arabia and Türkiye at the United Nations aim to support the al-Shara government. Riyadh and Ankara are expected to jointly pressure Washington during this meeting regarding Israel’s actions in Syrian territory.

Whether the visit will be a turning point for Syria or remain largely symbolic is currently being debated.

In his UN speech, al-Shara is expected to call for broader regional and international cooperation, in addition to requesting reconstruction aid and the lifting of sanctions.