Ambassadors from UN Security Council begin first-ever official visit to Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – A delegation of ambassadors from all 15 member states of the UN Security Council begins on Tuesday an official visit to Syria —the first such mission to the country—as part of a regional tour that also includes Lebanon.
Diplomatic sources described the visit as highly significant, given the sensitive political climate in both Syria and Lebanon and the growing international concern over escalating tensions in the region.
Samuel Žbogar, Slovenia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, whose country holds the rotating Security Council presidency this month, said the visit required lengthy negotiations to secure consensus among Council members.
The visit “comes at a crucial time for the region”, Žbogar noted, adding that the Council’s goal is to “convey a message of support” at a critical time.
Žbogar stressed that the Security Council seeks to help rebuild trust in the United Nations and demonstrate renewed engagement with the Syrian issue.
The delegation includes high-level representatives from the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France—among them U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, British Ambassador Barbara Woodward, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, and Chinese Ambassador Hu Fu Cong. Ambassadors from Algeria, Somalia, Pakistan, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, and Sierra Leone are also participating.
During their visit, Council delegates are expected to meet Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and other senior government officials. Meetings with civil society organizations and humanitarian actors are also scheduled, according to diplomatic officials.
Sources added that members of the delegation may receive a detailed briefing from Najat Rochdi, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, on recent security developments in southern Syria—including Israeli airspace violations and ongoing breaches of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement between Syria and Israel on the Golan Heights.
It remains unclear whether the ambassadors will meet with the leadership of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which oversees the ceasefire line in the Golan. Several Council members have reportedly expressed interest in receiving an on-the-ground assessment of the situation.
The visit comes as the UN faces mounting pressure to play a more active role in reviving a political settlement in Syria and bolstering stability across the region.
Reporting by Taysir Mohammed