"If ubiquity and handshakes were the only measures of success, Ahmed al-Sharaa would be diplomat of the year. Since he formally became president of Syria on 29 January 2025, the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham a jihadist group with an al-Qaida lineage has made a total of 21 public international trips to 13 countries. These include a visit to the UN general assembly, the climate change conference in Brazil, and numerous Arab summits."
"The visit was also an acknowledgment of the role Syria and its diaspora can play in bringing stability to the Middle East. But ultimately the test will be whether Sharaa is able to translate this curiosity and goodwill into something tangible for the Syrian people in terms of lifted sanctions, internal stability and freedom from external meddling, whether by Israel, Iran or Sharaa's potential ideological partner Turkey."
Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader, became president of Syria on 29 January 2025 and has made 21 public international trips to 13 countries. Envoys from all 15 UN Security Council members visited Damascus to mark the anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad, signaling unusual diplomatic unity. Gulf states have pledged investment: Saudi Arabia committed more than $6bn and Qatar is assisting oil and gas revival, while a final set of US sanctions is likely to be lifted before Christmas. Syria’s central bank cannot determine true GDP, and investment depends on reconciliation and preventing the country from becoming a base for regional threats.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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