GLOBAL:
US President Donald Trump announced that Washington explored the normalization of links with Damascus, following a historic meeting with the acting president of Syria Ahmed Al -Sharaa – the first meeting of this type in more than two decades.
Trump confirmed the development on Wednesday at a summit with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
He also said that the United States would raise all sanctions imposed on Syria.
“With the support of the big leaders in this room, we are currently exploring normalization relations with the new Syrian government,” said Trump.
He described the lifting of sanctions as a “new start” for the nation ravaged by the war and added that he had consulted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Edoğan about this decision.
The abolition of American sanctions that reduces Syria from the global financial system will open the way to a greater commitment by humanitarian organizations and will reduce foreign investments and trade as the country rebuilds a civil war.
The White House said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take talks with Syrian Minister for Foreign Affairs Asaad Al-Shaibani in Türkiye to continue discussions on bilateral ties.
According to a declaration from the White House, Trump urged Al-Sharaa at their meeting to expel the Palestinians classified as “terrorists”, sign the Abraham agreements with Israel and assume responsibility for Daesh detention centers in northeast Syria.
The meeting intervened after months of speculation following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in December during a rapid offensive of opposition fighters aligned with Al-Sharaa.
Tuesday evening, Trump’s Trump’s declaration welcomed the applause of the Arab leaders present at the top and to the celebrations of several Syrian cities.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal, Bin Farhan Al-Saud, said at a press conference, Riyadh would support the economic recovery of Syria and that there are many investment opportunities in the country after the lifting of sanctions.
They Ally Israel has opposed the repair of sanctions for Syria and increased its military operations since Assad was overthrown, saying that it would not tolerate an Islamist presence in southern Syria.
Israel seized the field in the southwest of the country, warned the Syrian government against the deployment of forces there and exploded a large part of the weapons and heavy equipment of the Syrian army in the days following the fall of Assad.
The announcement marks a spectacular change in the United States foreign policy towards Syria and is likely to reshape the country’s diplomatic position in the region after decades of isolation.
