RIYADH: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed his willingness to normalise relations with Syria and lift economic sanctions from the Arab state to give the country “a chance at peace.”
Speaking at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, he said the effort toward rapprochement came following discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed,” Trump said of Syria, adding, “I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that the EU would gradually lift sanctions on Syria as he hosted Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Paris.
A White House official earlier confirmed that Trump will meet al-Sharaa on Wednesday as he continues his trip in Saudi Arabia. Additional details on the meeting were not immediately available.
It is pertinent to mention that Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by armed groups led by Al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham that ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family.
The United States has been deliberating on how to approach Al-Sharaa since he assumed power in December. Gulf leaders have thrown their support behind the new government in Damascus and are expected to urge President Trump to do the same.
Former President Joe Biden deferred the decision to Trump, whose administration has not yet formally recognised the new Syrian leadership. Meanwhile, sanctions imposed on Damascus during Assad’s rule remain in effect.
“The President agreed to say hello to the Syrian President while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow,” the White House said before Trump’s remarks.
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Türkiye “later this week.”
