Guterres arrives in Syria in first official visit by a UN chief in 17 years 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has landed in Syria, marking the first official visit by a serving UN chief in 17 years.

Guterres arrived on Saturday morning at Damascus international airport, where he and his delegation were met by Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Syria’s state news agency reported.

During the trip, Guterres will meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who was under UN Security Council sanctions until last year.

The UN chief’s visit is a first since 2009, before the country’s bloody 14-year civil war broke out. It is yet another diplomatic milestone for al-Sharaa, who has sought to rebuild international ties since he took power after the 2024 ouster of Syria’s longtime leader Bashar al-Assad.

Guterres will also hold talks with al-Shaibani, other government officials and representatives of Syrian civil society.

The visit will include a field tour to inspect the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), stationed in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, as part of efforts to monitor commitments under the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres plans to highlight that Syria has an opportunity to “not only to recover from conflict, but also to lay the foundations for a future for Syria that will be more stable, more inclusive, and more prosperous for all Syrians”.

Guterres is expected to be in Damascus for several days, but the full schedule of his visit has not been released by his office. He is expected to address Syria’s new parliament on Monday.

The visit also comes just weeks after two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron spent the night, overshadowing the first visit to Syria by a European Union head of state since al-Assad was toppled.

Syrian authorities have said they have uncovered the cell responsible for the bombings, arresting suspects affiliated with the ISIL (ISIS) group.