U.S. President Donald Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. This meeting marked a significant turn of events for Syria as it struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation. Trump urged Sharaa to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel.
The meeting was attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan joining virtually.
The meeting came after Trump’s surprise announcement that the U.S. would lift all sanctions on Syria.
This decision was made despite deep Israeli suspicion of Sharaa’s administration and concerns within sectors of the Trump administration over Syria’s leaders’ former ties to al Qaeda. Trump said the lifting of sanctions would give Syria a fresh start and a chance for greatness. The sanctions were crippling and very powerful, according to Trump.
Photos posted on Saudi State television showed Trump and Sharaa shaking hands in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The White House press secretary posted that Trump urged Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords, a U.S.-brokered deal that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries. The United States hopes Saudi Arabia will also join the accords, but discussions have been put on hold due to the Gaza war and the kingdom’s insistence on Palestinian statehood.
The lifting of sanctions is expected to clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations and ease foreign investment and trade as Syria rebuilds from its civil war. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said Riyadh will support Syria’s economic recovery and that there are many investment opportunities in the country after sanctions are lifted.
This move is seen as a boost for Sharaa, who has been struggling to bring the country under the control of the Damascus government after toppling former President Bashar al-Assad in December.
Despite the positive developments, challenges persist for Syria’s new government. U.S. ally Israel has opposed sanctions relief for Syria and has escalated its military operations since Assad was toppled.
Israel has seized ground in the southwest of the country and warned the Syrian government against deploying forces there. The challenges facing Syria’s new government were laid bare in March when Assad loyalists attacked government forces, prompting revenge attacks that killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority and drew strong U.S. condemnation.
Sharaa has a complex past, having led al Qaeda’s official wing in the Syrian conflict and spending five years in a U.S. prison in Iraq. The United States removed a $10 million bounty on his head in December. Trump described Sharaa as “a real leader” with potential, deflecting a question about reports that the Syrian president wanted a Trump Tower in Damascus.
The Syrian foreign minister said the meeting between Trump and Sharaa included discussions about combating terrorism and cooperation in eliminating the influence of non-state actors and armed groups that threaten Syrian stability, including ISIS. This meeting will be followed by another between the Syrian foreign minister and his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio.
The U.S. is exploring normalizing relations with Syria’s government, beginning with Trump’s meeting with Sharaa,
Read more: Trump to lift US sanctions on Syria
