Born in 1982 in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Ahmed Al-Shara belongs to a Syrian family from the Golan Heights. His father, Hussein Al-Shara, was an Arab nationalist academic who worked in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, he defected from the Al-Qaeda organization and formed the ‘Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’, then established an ‘Interim Government’ in Idlib Governorate in northern Syria, based on consultation and Islamic law.
On January 29, 2025, Al-Shara was appointed President of Syria for a transitional period during an expanded meeting of military opposition factions. On the same day, the ‘Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party’, which ruled Syria for over 60 years, was dissolved, along with the People’s Assembly (Parliament), the army, and all security agencies in the country.
On March 13, 2025, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara signed a constitutional declaration setting the duration of the transitional phase in the country to five years. Recently, the United States canceled a $10 million reward it had offered for capturing Al-Shara.
Al-Shara’s visit to Moscow on October 15, 2025, marks the first of its kind to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they will discuss bilateral relations between the two countries and enhance economic and security cooperation. Al-Shara stated on September 12 that ‘inherited close ties connect Syria and Russia, which must be preserved,’ emphasizing that ‘Russia is an important country in the world and a member of the Security Council. We have inherited close ties between Syria and Russia that must be preserved.’
The Kremlin announced today, Wednesday, that Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks today with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara, who is visiting Russia on a working visit.
