Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in New York in late April, becoming the first senior official from the country to appear at the United Nations since the fall of the Assad regime. It came after a series of direct and indirect exchanges between the new Syrian government and Washington.
At the UN, al-Shaibani called for sanctions to be lifted and urged the Security Council to exert pressure on Israel to withdraw from Syrian territories. He stated that "Israel’s ongoing aggression against our country undermines the peace and security we strive to achieve."
His carefully-crafted speech reflected the mindset of a state seeking respite after a decade of war. There is widespread consensus that the country is exhausted and in urgent need of support from all parties to lift sanctions, rebuild, and facilitate the return of refugees.
Read more: What needs to happen to rebuild Syria
Pragmatism on display
Al-Shaibani addressed most of Washington’s demands, which had been handed to him in Brussels. His latest words were closely aligned with the official reply Damascus had sent earlier and reflect a foreign policy that could be described as more 'pragmatic' than that of the regime that Syria's new leaders toppled.
However, Iran—al-Assad's key regional backer—remains a threat to the 'new Syria' that its president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, wants to build. He will be eager to demonstrate his willingness and ability to counter Tehran's meddling.
To be sure, Iran is still limping from a string of devastating setbacks that occurred last year—from the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to the toppling of the 54-year Assad regime that had been a close ally of Tehran for as long. However, this doesn't mean that it won't try to regain its foothold in the country by stirring up trouble and fomenting instability.
