“This participation is itself a message Syria is no longer in isolation,” he said, noting that relations have opened in recent years with the US, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and European states.
He emphasised that Damascus is seeking regional stability rather than confrontation.
“Our strategy is to defuse tensions, resolve disputes and focus on reconstruction. Syria will not be dragged into wars,” he said.
Al Sharaa stressed that the wider Middle East “needs a zero-problems approach,” arguing that the war in Syria had destabilised the entire region. He said Damascus now wants to project stability by improving its economy and offering a model of recovery.
The Syrian president said the formation of Syria’s new government carried a message to Lebanon, Iraq and others in the region: “I reject sectarian quotas. What we want is participation and shared responsibility in governing the country, and above all the promotion of citizenship.”
Bashar al Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by al Sharaa was formed in January.
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