Despite being surrounded by turmoil and escalating regional tensions, Syria’s diplomatic track has continued to advance. Since assuming the presidency, Ahmad al-Sharaa has focused on restoring Syria to a functioning state footing, using diplomacy as a primary tool rather than an afterthought. A steady stream of high-level visits to Damascus-from Mahmoud Abbas and Nawaf Salam in 2025, to Ursula von der Leyen and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2026-points to a deliberate attempt to normalize engagement with a state long treated as diplomatically untouchable.
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More telling, however, were his appearances in Washington and Riyadh, which marked a clear shift from cautious outreach to strategic relevance. These were not symbolic meetings but signals that Syria is being reintroduced into regional and international calculations, with key actors willing to engage, even if that engagement remains cautious and conditional. That trajectory was reinforced in September 2025, when al-Sharaa addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York. His speech centered on sovereignty, reconstruction, and the need for reintegration into the international system-less a rhetorical appeal than a positioning exercise, presenting Syria as a state seeking recognition, stability, and partnership after years of fragmentation.
April was a prominent month, as he met with German and British counterparts, marking a further step in testing how far that re-engagement can go.
In London, al-Sharaa’s visit moved beyond symbolic diplomacy into direct engagement. He met with the UK Prime Minister at Downing Street, where both sides described the moment as an important step in UK–Syria relations. The discussions were wide-ranging, covering regional stability, counter-terrorism cooperation, migration, and the potential role of British businesses in Syria’s reconstruction. It reflected a shift from cautious contact to structured engagement, suggesting that Syria is gradually being brought back into formal diplomatic conversations.
In a separate appearance at Chatham House, al-Sharaa shed light on how Syria is attempting to reposition itself politically after years of conflict within the international stage. His messaging focused on stability, reconstruction, and a clear effort to stay out of regional confrontations, particularly the ongoing tensions between Iran, the US, and Israel. He framed Syria as a state moving away from its role as a battleground, instead seeking balanced relations and re-engagement with the international community. On the domestic front, he pointed to elections as part of a longer transition, tied to constitutional reform and institutional rebuilding rather than any immediate political shift.
In Berlin, the focus shifted more clearly toward reconstruction, migration, and security. The discussions in the context of Syria’s mass displacement crisis, where millions of Syrians fled during the war, with Germany becoming one of the main destinations. This context shaped much of the conversation, as both sides addressed the question of refugee returns and their role in reconstruction. Al-Sharaa’s meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which had initially been postponed due to tensions involving the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), eventually went ahead once the situation stabilized. That delay highlights how Syria’s internal security dynamics still shape its external diplomacy. When the meeting took place, the substance reflected a more pragmatic agenda. Al-Sharaa positioned Syria as a country ready to rebuild and actively seeking economic partnerships, while discussions with German officials centered on the return of Syrian refugees and the role they could play in reconstruction.
For Germany, this carries domestic political weight, as migration remains a central issue, while for Syria it ties directly into rebuilding its labor force and economy. At the same time, Al-Sharaa highlighted investment opportunities across key sectors such as energy, transport, and tourism, signaling an effort to attract long-term economic engagement. Overall, the visit points to a shift in how Syria is engaging with Europe, with a clearer focus on practical cooperation rather than just political outreach.
That effort to present Syria as stable and re-emerging comes at a time when the security picture is still uneven. The 2026 Global Terrorism Index shows a clear drop in attacks and deaths, with Syria improving its ranking to sixth place. Part of that improvement reflects better coordination with countries involved in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, including the United States, Jordan, and others. As relations have opened, so too has cooperation on counter-terrorism-from intelligence sharing to joint efforts on the ground-which has helped limit ISIS activity. But the picture is not straightforward. Syria still recorded the highest number of ISIS-related incidents, and factors such as tensions around the Syrian Democratic Forces, the withdrawal of US troops, and mass escapes from detention camps continue to shape a fragile security environment. In that sense, progress is real, but it sits alongside risks that have not fully gone away.
What these visits depict is not just a shift in tone, but early, tangible results. As Syria has re-engaged with countries involved in the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, cooperation on counterterrorism has improved, contributing to a clear drop in attacks. Most notably, this has also been translated into policy changes. In July 2025, the United States terminated its comprehensive sanctions programme on Syria, including the Caesar Act, removing major restrictions on financial transactions to support reconstruction. There are also signs that engagement is starting to translate into more regular contact and early economic interest, even if the overall situation is still uncertain. Syria is trying to move forward while still dealing with internal divisions and a shifting regional environment. Whether this momentum holds will depend on whether these gains can be sustained, or whether the same pressures that once isolated it begin to return
