U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged help for Syrian reconstruction on Saturday during the first visit to Damascus by a serving United Nations chief since 2009, before the start of a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, Reuters reports.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Guterres at the presidential palace in Damascus, state news agency SANA said, without providing further details.
"No country emerges from a very severe conflict and rebuilds itself on its own," Guterres said after the talks with Sharaa at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
"We must help Syria in its determination and resolve to do so," Guterres added.
Shaibani reiterated Syria's request for more support from the international community, especially the European Union. He said Guterres' talks with Sharaa —which Shaibani also attended — had focused on increasing U.N. support for reconstruction and a government plan to close displacement camps.
Sharaa, the former head of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, was until November 2025 under terrorism-related sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council.
