U.S. President Donald Trump informed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday that he had decided to remove Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
In a letter to al-Sharaa, Trump wrote, “I promised to remove all the obstacles preventing you from rebuilding your country, and very soon you will finally be able to do so.”
He added in the letter, which a senior U.S. administration official said was delivered to al-Sharaa following their meeting in Ankara on Wednesday, “We have American companies ready to invest in Syria and help make your country greater and more prosperous than ever before.”
Trump said he had notified Congress, which will now conduct a 45-day review period before the decision takes effect.
Designation as a state sponsor of terrorism imposes restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance, defense exports, and certain financial transactions.
Last month, Trump signed an executive order ending the U.S. sanctions program on Syria, allowing the country to begin reintegrating into the international financial system.
Trump also praised al-Sharaa on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States had begun the formal process of removing Syria from the state sponsors of terrorism list, a designation that has been in place for decades.
Rubio said that lifting sanctions on Syria would “open the door to international trade and investment, give Syria an opportunity to rebuild, and usher in a new chapter for the Syrian people.”
Al-Sharaa’s visit to Ankara coincided with the NATO Summit, one day after he held talks in Damascus with French President Emmanuel Macron, during which the two sides signed economic agreements and Paris reaffirmed its support for Syria’s new authorities.
Reuters and AFP
