Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit the White House for the first time later this month.

 

Key topics include lifting sanctions, post-war reconstruction, and countering Daesh.

Syria seeks security agreements with 'Israel' but is not pursuing war.

Syria is preparing for a historic visit to Washington later this month, where President Ahmed al-Sharaa will discuss a range of critical issues including lifting remaining sanctions, post-war reconstruction, and counter-terrorism efforts, the country’s foreign minister announced Sunday.

 

Speaking at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Syria’s top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani said the visit, expected in early November, is “certainly historic.” He noted that discussions will begin with the lifting of sanctions and stressed the need for international support in ongoing efforts against Daesh.

 

“Many topics will be discussed, starting with the lifting of sanctions,” Shaibani said. “Today we are fighting [Daesh]… any effort in this regard requires international support.” He also highlighted reconstruction efforts following more than a decade of conflict in Syria.

 

The Damascus Foreign Ministry confirmed that this would be the first official visit to the White House by a Syrian president. Earlier, US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Sharaa was expected in Washington “hopefully” to sign an agreement for Syria to join the international US-led alliance against Daesh.

 

This will mark Sharaa’s second visit to the United States, following a landmark UN General Assembly speech in New York in September, where he became the first Syrian president in decades to address the body. In May, Sharaa met US President Donald Trump in Riyadh, a historic visit that included Trump’s promise to lift economic sanctions on Syria.

 

Although Syria and 'Israel' remain technically at war, direct negotiations have begun following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad last December. Trump has expressed hope that Syria could join other Arab states that normalized relations with 'Israel' under the Abraham Accords, but Shaibani clarified, “Regarding Syria and the Abraham Accords, this is an issue that is not being considered and has not been discussed.”

 

According to a Syrian official, security and military agreements with 'Israel' are expected to be finalized in 2025, representing a major breakthrough less than a year after Assad’s removal. Since December, 'Israel' has deployed troops in a UN-monitored buffer zone and carried out hundreds of strikes, but Syria has not retaliated.

 

“We do not want Syria to enter a new war, and Syria is not currently in a position to threaten any party, including Israel,” Shaibani said. He added that ongoing negotiations aim to reach a security agreement that respects the 1974 ceasefire and does not legitimize any new realities imposed by 'Israel' in southern Syria.