Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, Aram I, has sent a congratulatory letter to Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

He expressed his hope that under al-Sharaa’s leadership, Syria’s history would witness a new and prosperous chapter, according to the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia.

The patriarch reminded the president that “the Syrian people, with all their communities, have endured countless hardships and persevered with the hope that equality will prevail in the country, and the rights of all Syrians will be respected without discrimination.”

On January 30, it was announced that Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had been appointed Syria’s interim president during the “transitional government” period.

Al-Sharaa, also known as Mohammad al-Jolani, leads the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., several Western nations, and Russia. He spearheaded the armed uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late November and early December 2024. As a result, Assad’s government collapsed, he fled to Moscow, and al-Sharaa became the de facto leader of the country.