People in Damascus celebrate US president Donald Trump's decision to abolish sanctions against Syria on 13 May 2025. © Amadeusz Mikolaj Swierk / Anadolu / Getty Images
U.S. president Donald Trump said he would abolish sanctions against Syria, reversing over a decade of policies aimed at exerting force on Damascus.He added that he hoped for a "new start" with Ahmed al-Sharaa's transitional government.
Al-Sharaa, besides known by the alias Abu Mohammad al-Julani, gained fame as leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group associated with Al-Qaeda who led a coalition of opposition groups that overturned the long-standing leader of Bashar Assad last year."There is simply a fresh government that hopefully succeeds in stabilising the country and maintaining peace" said Trump during the Riyadh Investment Forum on Tuesday."I order the end of sanctions against Syria to give them a chance at greatness" “He added.“It is their time to shine.
We take them all off” said Trump.
"Good luck, Syria, show us something truly special".The U.S. president is reportedly planning to meet Al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.
"We are ready to cultivate relations with the United States, which are based on common respect, trust and common interests" “Reuters told Syrian abroad Minister Asaad al-Shibani.
He added that Trump could accomplish “historic peace agreement and triumph of US interests in Syria".Al-Sharaa, who went to Paris last week to meet French president Emmanuel Macron, said there was no ‘no justification’ to keep sanctions that impede Syria's reconstruction after almost 15 years of civilian war.During his visit to Qatar in February, Russian abroad Minister Sergei Lawrow argued that sanctions ‘injuries the Syrian people’ and should be abolished without any preconditions.Syria plunged into a chaotic civilian war following the uprising against Assad in 2011. For president Barack Obama, the USA helped train and equip ‘moderate’ militants, many of whom later went to jihadist groups.
Trump conducted air strikes on various military facilities in the country during his first term.The opposition offensive, which ended with the capture of Damascus by HTS fighters Al-Sharaa and others in December, active the massacres of the Alavitians, Christians and Assad supporters.
At the beginning of this year, the UN and human rights groups expressed concern over the fatal clashes between pro-government militias and the squad community
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/617489-trump-lifts-sanctions-syria/
