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US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will order the removal of “brutal and crippling” sanctions imposed on Syria following consultations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other key regional leaders, Anadolu Agency reported.
Speaking in Riyadh at an investment forum, Trump stated, “After discussing the situation in Syria with the crown prince, your crown prince, and also with President Erdoğan of Turkey, who called me the other day and asked for a very similar thing, among others, and friends of mine, people I have a lot of respect for in the Middle East, I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.”
Trump was referring to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was present at the forum. He emphasised that now was Syria’s time to “shine,” saying, “So, I say, ‘Good luck Syria. Show us something very special, like they’ve done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia.”
This announcement comes one day after Trump hinted at the possibility of lifting US sanctions on Syria. The decision is part of a broader Western effort to ease economic penalties imposed on Damascus under the rule of the ousted Assad regime.
Earlier in the week, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that the European Union would gradually lift sanctions on Syria, following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Paris.
A White House official later confirmed that Trump plans to meet al-Sharaa on Wednesday as part of his ongoing visit to Saudi Arabia, although further details regarding the meeting were not immediately disclosed.
Additionally, Trump mentioned that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani later this week in Turkey.
The announcement follows the departure of Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, to Russia on December 8, marking the end of the Baath Party’s rule that began in 1963.
