US special envoy praises Syria’s interim president for progress on counterterrorism

US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, met with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to commend recent progress in aligning with President Trump’s policy objectives regarding foreign terrorist fighters.  

“Today [May 24], 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,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Barrack’s message on X.

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. President al-Sharaa praised America’s fast action on lifting sanctions,… pic.twitter.com/m63iiZTGLL

— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) May 24, 2025

“President al-Sharaa praised America’s fast action on lifting sanctions, welcoming Secretary Rubio’s landmark announcement waiving Caesar Act sanctions for 180 days and the U.S. Treasury Department’s announcement of General License 25 and other sanctions relief measures. 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 traumatized Syrian population,” he wrote. 

“President Trump’s goal is to enable the new government to create the conditions for the Syrian people to not only survive but thrive. I stressed the cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective – the enduring defeat of ISIS – and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future. I also commended President al-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,” he noted. 

“The Syrian side and I affirmed our 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. This meeting was historic, putting the issue of sanctions – as President Trump has indicated – far behind us, and resulting in joint commitment of both our countries to drive forward, quickly, with investment, development, and worldwide branding of a new, welcoming Syria without sanctions,” he added.

By Naila Huseynova