U.S. Envoy Lauds Syrian President’s Steps on Terrorist Fighters

AFP

U.S. President's special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack & Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Syria said he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and commended the leader's steps taken regarding foreign fighters and relations with Israel.

The two officials met in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Saturday, 24 May 2025, according to a statement by the U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack. Their discussions focused on the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria.

The meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration issued orders effectively lifting sanctions on Syria after its 14-year civil war. Syria welcomed the sanctions waiver, describing it as a "positive step".

"Today, I met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani in Istanbul to implement President Trump’s bold decision to provide a path for peace and prosperity in Syria," Barrack said in a statement 

Barrack reaffirmed U.S. support for the Syrian people, stating: "I reiterated the United States’ support for the Syrian people after so many years of conflict and violence and reiterated Secretary Rubio’s position that if we had not acted so promptly and deliberately to remove sanctions our partners in the region would not be able to provide donor dollars, supplies, and energy to relieve the plight and trauma of the traumatised Syrian population." 

"President Trump’s goal is to enable the new government to create the conditions for the Syrian people to not only survive but thrive, he said.

Barrack also commended President Sharaa on taking meaningful steps towards enacting President Trump’s points on foreign terrorist fighters, counter-ISIS measures, relations with Israel, and camps and detention centers in NE Syria.

According to the statement, the two sides also affirmed their commitment to continuing these important conversations and to working together to develop private sector investment in Syria to rebuild the economy, including through investment by regional and global partners such as Türkiye, the Gulf, Europe, and the United States.

Barrack described the meeting as historic, which results in joint commitment of both countries to drive forward, quickly, with investment, development, and worldwide branding of a new, welcoming Syria without sanctions.

Although Barrack's statement did not mention the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a statement by the Syrian Presidency claimed that the two sides agreed on the necessity of a comprehensive agreement with the SDF, one that guarantees the return of a sovereignty to the Syrian government over all Syrian territories, while also discussing the mechanisms for integrating these forces into the state institutions.  

Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also met with President Sharaa in an unannounced visit in Istanbul. According to the Turkish Presidency, Erdoğan welcomed the lifting of U.S. sanctions and expressed support for Syria’s reintegration into the regional diplomatic fold.



PUKMEDIA