Syria, 2025

The Assembly will now hear an address by His Excellency Hamad Al-Sharaa, President of the Syrian Arab Republic. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly. In the name of God, most compassionate, most merciful. The Syrian story is filled with emotions and it mixes pain with hope. The Syrian story is a story of struggle between good and evil and between the weak, right cause that has no supporter except God. Our story is one of the lessons of history and it is an embodiment of noble human meanings and values. In this eternal struggle between good and evil, we find the Syrian story that tells a new chapter of the struggle, one filled with creativity and determination and patience and torture and pain and sacrifice and clinging on to noble customs and values and hard work and relying on God. All these are tools for truth against injustice and falsehood. Your Excellencies, Mr. Secretary General, Madam President of the General Assembly, Your Excellencies, may the peace of God be upon you. I come to you from Damascus, the capital of history and the cradle of civilizations, a beautiful country that has taught the world the meaning of civilization and the value of human beings and coexistence to be a beacon for the world. Syria, however, for 60 years fell under a repressive rule that disregarded the value of the territory it ruled over. For long years, we've suffered injustice and deprivation and oppression. Then we rose in claiming our dignity. The previous regime has used the worst kind of torture against our people, the chemical weapons and bombardment and torture in prison and displacement and sectarian strife and used drugs against our people and the world. It has torn our country apart and brought forth fighters from around the world. The former regime killed around a million innocent people and displaced thousands and millions and demolished two million homes. Ladies and gentlemen, the unarmed people were attacked using chemical weapons. Our women and children have inhaled toxic gases, all this to silence truth. And with all this criminality, there was no language for solution despite the offers. This people had no means and choice but to organize itself and to organize militarily to oust a criminal regime. It was a military operation that was filled with mercy and good and that prioritized tolerance and that did not target civilians. It targeted justice without vengeance. We restored our right and we became victorious for sake of our grievances. We were victorious for the mothers of martyrs and for all of you, people of the world, for the future of our children and yours. And we paved the way for the return of refugees and we destroyed the trafficking of drugs. Accordingly, Syria has transformed from an exporter of crisis to an opportunity for peace for Syria and the region, ladies and gentlemen. This unique Syrian achievement and the solidarity between our peoples led us to try to uproot sectarianism and to fight against attempts to divide our country once again. But the Syrian people are aware enough to understand and to resist. We formed commissions for fact-finding and granted access to UN fact-finding missions. I guarantee to bring to justice everyone accountable and responsible for bloodshed. And in this context, Israeli strikes and attacks against my country continue and Israeli policies contradict the international supporting position for Syria, which threatens new crises and struggles in our region. For this purpose and in face of this aggression, Syria is committed to dialogue and we are committed to the disengagement of forces agreement of 1974. And we call on the international community to stand beside us in the face of these attacks. Ladies and gentlemen, from the very moment the former regime fell, we set out a clear strategic policy built upon three pillars, balanced diplomacy, security, stability and economic development. We filled the power vacuum, called for an inclusive national dialogue and announced a government of competence. We strengthened the principle of participation and established a national commission for transitional justice and another for the missing, ensuring justice and fairness. We are now proceeding toward electing representatives of the people in the legislative council. We restructured civil and military institutions, dissolving all previous formations. Through intensive diplomatic activities, Syria restored its international relations and forged regional and global partnerships and achieved the gradual lifting of most sanctions. And we call now for the complete lifting of sanctions so that they no longer shackle the Syrian people. Investment laws have been amended and major regional and international companies have already begun entering the Syrian market, contributing through investment and reconstruction. Syria today is rebuilding itself through establishing a new state, building institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception. A land of ancient civilization and culture deserves to be a state of law, protecting everyone, safeguarding rights, guaranteeing freedoms and fostering life to flourish while turning the page of a wretched past. We are determined to restore Syria's glory, dignity and honor. And in continuation of the Syrian story, I declare before you today the triumph of truth over falsehood. Truth has come and falsehood has perished. Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world. This announcement is the echo of a great people's will, a people who forged glory throughout the ages, who rose again from beneath the rubble to restore their rights and freedom and dignity. On behalf of the Syrian people, I extend gratitude to everyone who stood by the Syrian cause, who aided Syrians in their tragedy and who welcomed them in their countries and to all nations and peoples who rejoiced in the victory of the Syrian people's will. And I particularly thank Turkey, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all Arab and Islamic states, the United States of America and the European Union. And before I conclude, let me affirm the suffering Syria endured we wish upon no one. We are among the peoples most deeply aware of the horrors of war and destruction. For this reason, we stand firmly with the people of Gaza. For this reason, we stand firmly with the people of Gaza, its children and women and all peoples facing violations and aggression. We call for an immediate end to the war. In conclusion, the Syrian story has not come to an end. It continues to write a new chapter entitled Peace, Prosperity and Development. And may the peace of God be upon you. On behalf of the Assembly, I wish to thank the President of the Syrian Arab Republic.