Ahmed al-Sharaa

President, Syria

🇸🇾 Syria - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 81st Session | #UNGA

📅 Sep 23, 2026 United Nations and 5 more 10 MIN 37878 VIEWS 6 SEGMENTS · 2 SPEAKERS

Ahmad Al-Sharaa, President of the Syrian Arab Republic, addresses the General Debate of the 81st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (New York, 22 - 26 and 28 September 2026). World leaders will gather to engage in the annual high-level General Debate under the theme, "Better together: 81 years and more for peace, development and human rights". The General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly is the opportunity for Heads of State and Government to come together at the UN Headquarters and discuss world issues. Heads of State and Government and ministers will explore...

What Ahmed al-Sharaa said

Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of Syria, addressed the UN General Assembly's 81st session, stating that a year after his first appearance, Syria is now 'rising' rather than merely 'back'. He detailed achievements including the cessation of bloodshed, arms control, rebuilding of institutions, lifting of sanctions, and the repeal of the Caesar Act. He highlighted that over 100 states have communicated with Syria through 4,000 communications, and Damascus hosts more than 60 diplomatic missions. Al-Sharaa reported the return of 3.5 million refugees and IDPs, a focus on agricultural self-sufficiency with over 5,000 production lines, and an initiative to end refugee camps. He condemned Israeli actions, citing 500 air strikes, 1,200 incursions, and 300 detentions, and called for withdrawal to the lines of December 8, 2024, committing to the 1974 agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 497 on the Golan.

Key takeaways

Syria is 'rising' with reconstruction underway and sanctions lifted, including the repeal of the Caesar Act.
Over 100 states have engaged with Syria through 4,000 communications, and Damascus hosts more than 60 diplomatic missions.
3.5 million refugees and IDPs have returned to Syria.
Syria has over 5,000 production lines and increased agricultural production for self-sufficiency.
Al-Sharaa calls for Israeli withdrawal to December 8, 2024 lines, citing 500 air strikes and 1,200 incursions.

Numbers and commitments

Figure	What it refers to	Type	At
100 states	States communicating with Syria since liberation	metric	2:21
4,000 communications	Number of communications with the states	metric	2:21
60 diplomatic missions	Diplomatic missions hosted in Damascus	metric	2:21
5,000 production lines	Production lines started in Syria	metric	6:00
3.5 million refugees and IDPs	Refugees and internally displaced persons returned	metric	6:00
500 air strikes	Israeli air strikes against Syria	metric	6:00
1,200 incursions	Israeli incursions into Syria	metric	6:00
300 detentions	Detentions by Israel	metric	6:00

Chapters

0:00Opening and moral reflections
2:21Syria's achievements and recovery
6:00Economic production and refugee return
9:21Closing vision and thanks

General Assembly President 0:02 ↗

The seventh plenary meeting of the General Assembly is called to order. The Assembly will hear an address by His Excellency Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of the Syrian Arab Republic. I request protocol to escort His Excellency and invite him to address the Assembly.

2 more exchanges in this transcript

Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX

APA

al-Sharaa, A. (2026, September 23). 🇸🇾 Syria - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 81st Session | #UNGA [Interview transcript]. United Nations and 5 more. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2958402/

MLA

Ahmed al-Sharaa. "🇸🇾 Syria - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 81st Session | #UNGA." United Nations and 5 more, 23 Sep. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2958402/.

BibTeX

@misc{alsharaa2026_2958402,
  author       = {Ahmed al-Sharaa},
  title        = {🇸🇾 Syria - President Addresses United Nations General Debate, 81st Session | #UNGA},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, United Nations and 5 more. CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {sep},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2958402/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}

▶

Key Quotes (2)

“A year ago, I stood before you representing my people for the first time in 60 years. I recalled the victory of our people and stressed that this is a victory for the world as a whole. Today I convey to you the facts, the achievements to go through the breakthrough we've achieved. Last year I mentioned that Syria came back. Today I say that Syria is rising. Ladies and gentlemen, in our journey, in”

▶ 2:33 POLICY

“The world is joyed about our return. But Israel is launching attacks against Syria. There have been 500 air strikes, more than 1,200 incursions and 300 detentions. This is at odds with the orientation we're seeing at global level. It is reminiscent of a era that we thought it was long gone. We are committed to the 1974 agreement. We call for the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines of the 8th”

▶ 8:10 CONTROVERSIAL

Mentioned in this interview

Khalid Rahman: President of the General Assembly, addressed by al-Sharaa.

Antonio Guterres: Secretary-General of the United Nations, addressed by al-Sharaa.

Caesar Act: Repealed, symbolizing lifted sanctions.

European Union: Cooperation with Syria culminated after sanctions were lifted.

OPCW: Working with Syria to destroy chemical weapons file.

IAEA: Working with Syria with transparency on nuclear issues.

Israel: Launching attacks against Syria; al-Sharaa calls for withdrawal.

Security Council resolution 497: Cited to assert Golan remains Syrian territory.

Earlier, on the same topics

“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 strengthene”

transitional justice · Sep 24, 2025 at 6:02 →

“There is a big difference between Syria and the countries that went into the Abraham Accords. First, Israel still occupies the Golan, and the Golan is Syrian land recognized by the United Nations. The countries that entered the Abraham Accords, Israel does not take land from them in return, and they”

Sep 22, 2025 at 34:21 →

“In fact, this statement is somewhat exaggerated. I did not say this. It was said by others, by the chancellor. He said that the return of the refugees is directly linked to the reconstruction of Syria. European countries receive the refugees and we thank them for this. We should not do this by just ”

reconstruction · Mar 31, 2026 at 57:06 →

“The return of the refugees is directly linked to the reconstruction of Syria. European countries received the refugees and we thank them for this. We should not do this by just sending people in airplanes to go back. They may want to leave again. This process must be managed well. The generosity of ”

reconstruction · Mar 31, 2026 at 29:32 →

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About Ahmed al-Sharaa

Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2026, where he stated that Syria is "rising" following the fall of the Assad regime. He reported that his government has established stability and security, with sanctions lifted, the Caesar Act repealed, and Syria removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Al-Sharaa said that more than 5,000 production lines have been started, agricultural output has increased, and 3.5 million refugees and internally displaced persons have returned. He also announced an initiative called "Syria without refugee camps" and said his government has reconstructed universities and schools. In the same address, al-Sharaa accused Israel of launching attacks against Syria, citing 500 air strikes, more than 1,200 incursions, and 300 detentions. He called for Israel's withdrawal to the lines of December 8, 2024, and reaffirmed Syria's commitment to the 1974 agreement. In a separate interview with the Atlantic Council on September 22, 2026, al-Sharaa discussed Syria's relationship with Iraq, describing Iraqi militias as operating outside state institutions, and characterized the withdrawal of American troops from Syria as safe and successful. In an August 2026 interview with Al Jazeera, he said that economic development typically takes 20 to 25 years to show results, citing models such as Singapore and Turkey, and emphasized that his approach is based on credibility rather than a mentality of revenge.

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