The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the removal of sanctions imposed on Syria before his meeting with the country's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, as part of his tour of the Middle East.
The announcement was confirmed by the White House and came amid meetings with several leaders, as part of a series of diplomatic meetings in the region.
The measure was received with enthusiasm in Damascus, the Syrian capital, where public celebrations were recorded, including fireworks and gunfire. The U.S. sanctions had restricted for years the entry of financing and international aid, as a pressure mechanism against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, overthrown in December after 13 years of civil war.
Trump defended his decision stating that "it's time for Syria to shine," and highlighted that the removal of sanctions will give the country the opportunity to rebuild itself.
The president also indicated that the request came from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, key allies in the region. "Oh, what I do for the Crown Prince. I like him too much," Trump joked during his speech.
The interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani, is a figure with a noted past. Former leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and founder of the al-Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria that later transformed into Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), al-Sharaa broke with Al Qaeda in 2016 and has since tried to reposition himself as a moderate and unifying figure for the country.
