Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has begun an international tour that includes Brazil and the United States, marking his first visit to South America and the first-ever official visit by a Syrian president to the United States.
Al-Sharaa started his trip in Brazil, where he is participating in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), hosted in the city of Belém from November 6 to 21. According to the official Syrian news agency SANA, this is the first time a Syrian president has taken part in the climate conference since it was first held in 1995.
During his stay in Brazil on November 6 and 7, the Syrian president is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders and delegations attending the summit, which brings together representatives from more than 190 countries to discuss global climate challenges.
After concluding his participation in the conference, Al-Sharaa will travel to the United States for an official visit, during which he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House next Monday—becoming the first Syrian president ever to make an official visit to Washington.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that during his recent trip to the Middle East, President Trump made a historic decision to lift sanctions on Syria “to give it a real chance for peace,” adding that Washington has observed encouraging progress under Syria’s new leadership.
According to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani, the talks in Washington will focus on lifting the remaining sanctions, reconstruction efforts, and combating terrorism, describing the visit as “historic.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Brack said that Al-Sharaa is expected to sign an agreement for Syria to join the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State during his visit.
It is worth noting that Al-Sharaa previously met Trump for the first time in Riyadh last May, during a historic visit in which the U.S. president announced his intention to lift sanctions and support the regional normalization process under the framework of the Abraham Accords.
