UN chief Antonio Guterres urged the immediate lifting of all sanctions on Syria during a two-day visit to Damascus.
damascus: UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged the lifting of all sanctions imposed on Syria during the era of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, concluding a two-day visit to the country.
“I welcome the steps that have eased sanctions and opened new possibilities for economic recovery, but all these sanctions must be lifted immediately,” Guterres told a news conference in Damascus.
Syria’s new authorities, who take power in December 2024, are trying to turn the page after more than 13 years of war and restart the economy and rebuild infrastructure and institutions.
Western countries, including the United States, have begun to lift economic sanctions on Syria. But investors remain cautious, as the World Bank estimates that rebuilding the country after the war could cost $216 billion.
Guterres said, “The United Nations stands with the Syrian people at this critical moment. And I bring the strongest appeal to the international community, an appeal to leave no stone unturned to support the Syrian people and support the Syrian government.”
“Syria is at a crossroads today,” he said.
Guterres is the first UN chief to visit Syria since his predecessor Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the start of the Syrian war, which killed half a million people.
“Syria needs investment in its people, its economy and its institutions. Syria needs support to restore essential services, rebuild infrastructure, revive livelihoods,” he said.
Help is also needed “for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced persons,” he said.
