Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa returned his country to the global stage on Sunday with a historic appearance at the United Nations General Assembly — the first by a Syrian leader since 1967. The visit highlights Damascus’s twin priorities: breaking free from crippling sanctions and advancing security negotiations with Israel, even as the country braces for its first parliamentary elections since the fall of Bashar Assad.

Sanctions Drive Top Of Agenda

Al-Sharaa is expected to use the UNGA platform to push for the dismantling of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, the most punishing layer of U.S. sanctions that continues to choke Syria’s economy. Washington has already relaxed some measures, but a full repeal requires congressional approval. Syrian officials argue the sanctions block reconstruction and keep millions displaced. In a rare move, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani traveled to Washington last week, urging lawmakers to reconsider, marking the highest-level Syrian outreach to the U.S. in more than two decades.

Border Talks And UN Supervision

Equally significant are quiet negotiations with Israel aimed at reviving the 1974 disengagement pact. Damascus wants Israeli troops pulled back from areas seized in southern Syria and insists that the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force oversee any deal. Al-Sharaa recently suggested an agreement could be sealed “within days,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a cooler tone, saying progress was real but “still a vision for the future.” Analysts caution that any pact will depend heavily on U.N. monitoring and on whether Israel curbs its airstrikes inside Syria.

Elections Amid Fragile Recovery

At home, election officials have announced that Syrians will vote on October 5 in the first parliamentary ballot since Assad’s ouster. The new system will see two-thirds of seats filled by provincial electoral colleges, while the president directly appoints the remaining third — a compromise officials say is unavoidable with millions of citizens displaced or lacking identity papers. Al-Sharaa has pitched the vote as proof of a new political era, though sporadic sectarian clashes continue to undermine his promises of national reconciliation.