Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa , has called for the lifting of international sanctions in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, becoming the country’s first head of state to speak at the gathering in nearly 60 years.

“Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world,” al-Sharaa told world leaders on Wednesday, saying his country’s story was “filled with emotions, and it mixes pain with hope”.

“The Syrian story is a story of struggle between good and evil,” he added. “For long years, we’ve suffered injustice and deprivation and oppression. Then we rose in claiming our dignity.”

Syrians across the country came together to watch al-Sharaa’s speech.

“People gathered in front of large screens, watching a moment that can be described as

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