Ambassadors of 15 UN Security Council Member States Begin Official Visit to Syria

A delegation of ambassadors from the United Nations Security Council member states began an official visit to Syria on Tuesday — the first of its kind — as part of a tour that also includes Lebanon, according to diplomatic sources. The visit comes at a politically sensitive moment for both countries.

Samuel Žbogar, Slovenia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations — whose country holds the Council presidency this month and is leading the delegation — said that preparations for the visit took a long time in order to reach consensus among Council members, describing the process as “not easy.” He explained that the main objective is “to send a message of support,” adding: “The Security Council wants to help rebuild trust in the United Nations… That is why we are going there, so Syrians can see that the UN is returning to Syria,” affirming the Council’s support for a “Syrian-led and Syrian-owned” process.

The delegation includes representatives of all 15 member states, among them U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, the UK’s Barbara Woodward, France’s Jérôme Bonnafont, Russia’s Vasily Nebenzya, and China’s Fu Cong, in addition to ambassadors from Algeria, Somalia, Pakistan, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, and Sierra Leone.

The delegation is scheduled to hold meetings with Syria’s Interim Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, and a number of government officials, as well as sessions with representatives of civil society.

Diplomatic sources also indicate the possibility that members of the Council may receive a briefing from Najat Rochdi, the Deputy UN Special Envoy for Syria, regarding developments in southern Syria — including Israeli incursions and violations related to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Syria and Israel — though it remains unclear whether a meeting will be held with the leadership of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan.