United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the immediate and complete removal of all sanctions on Syria, capping a two-day visit to Damascus that marked the first such trip by a UN chief since 2009. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Guterres said that while recent steps to ease sanctions were welcome, they did not go far enough to enable the country's recovery after more than thirteen years of war.
"I welcome steps that have eased sanctions, and opening new possibilities for economic recovery, but all these sanctions must be removed immediately," Guterres told reporters. He described the visit as "deeply meaningful and productive."
During his stay, Guterres met with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and the speaker of Syria's newly formed transitional parliament, which held its first session earlier this month. He also visited Sednaya prison near the capital, a facility that became synonymous with the brutality of the ousted Assad regime.
The UN chief held talks with members of the peacekeeping force deployed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, as well as representatives of civil society, women, and young people from Syria's diverse communities. His visit comes as the country's new authorities, who took power in December 2024, attempt to rebuild state institutions and revive an economy shattered by conflict.
Reconstruction costs and investor caution
Western countries, including the United States, have announced the easing of some sanctions, but investors remain wary. The World Bank has estimated that Syria's post-war reconstruction could cost $216 billion (€190 billion). Guterres stressed that the country needs more than just sanctions relief.
"Syria needs investment in its people, its economy and its institutions. Syria needs support to restore essential services, rebuild infrastructure, revive livelihoods," he said. He also called for help to ensure "the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced people."
According to the UN, approximately 1.7 million refugees have returned to Syria since Assad's ousting, while around 5.5 million people remain displaced inside the country and six million are abroad. The war, which began in 2011, killed more than half a million people.
Guterres is the first UN secretary-general to visit Syria since Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the conflict erupted. His predecessor's visit came at a time when the country was still under the iron grip of Bashar al-Assad, whose fall in late 2024 opened a new chapter.
Israeli incursions and territorial integrity
During Guterres' visit, Syrian state media reported a fresh Israeli incursion into the country's south. State news agency SANA said that "Israeli occupation forces carried out an incursion early Sunday into the villages of Maariya and Al-Aarda in the Yarmuk basin in the west of Daraa province." The report said soldiers, accompanied by three military vehicles and a bulldozer, set up a checkpoint in Al-Aarda and dropped leaflets warning residents not to obstruct their advance.
Since the overthrow of Assad, Israel has sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights. It has also carried out strikes and repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory. Israeli officials have said they intend to maintain a presence in a "security zone" in southern Syria and are pushing for a broader demilitarised area.
Guterres did not mince words on the issue. "Violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable and must cease," he said on Saturday. "What is happening in the region around the Golan Heights is totally unacceptable," he added, emphasising that "the Golan Heights are Syrian territory."
During a meeting with President al-Sharaa, Guterres reaffirmed the UN's commitment to Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity, and expressed deep concern over Israeli violations of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
The international community has urged al-Sharaa's administration to build a governance system that includes all components of Syria's multi-ethnic, multi-confessional society. The country's future, Guterres argued, depends on both internal reform and external support.
For more on the UN's role in the region, see our coverage of Guterres' broader call for global support. The situation also intersects with broader European security concerns, as highlighted by Romania's recent interception of drones amid ongoing Russian incursions.
