Trump reiterates commitment to Syria’s success after meeting with Sharaa

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Following a landmark meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, US President Donald Trump on Monday reaffirmed his country’s commitment to "making Syria successful” as part of broader efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump stated, “We'll do everything we can to make Syria successful because it's part of the Middle East,” adding that the region now enjoys “peace… for the first time that anyone can remember.”

The US President described Sharaa as “a very strong leader,” praising his connections with regional actors, particularly Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Trump also called “a great leader.”

He also highlighted efforts by his administration to ease tensions between Damascus and Tel Aviv, stating, “We are also working with Israel on getting along with Syria.”

Sharaa’s meeting with Trump at the White House marked the first visit by a Syrian leader in 80 years.

Shortly before the US President’s remarks, the Syrian foreign ministry issued a statement describing Sharaa’s visit as “historic,” noting that the meeting was “conducted in a friendly and constructive atmosphere.”

The ministry quoted the US president as expressing “his admiration for the new Syrian leadership and the Syrian people” and praising “Syria's efforts in successfully leading the current phase.” Trump reportedly “affirmed the commitment to provide the full support needed by the Syrian leadership to succeed in the path of reconstruction and development in the next phase.”

The meeting was notably expanded “upon instruction from President Trump” to include Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The expanded talks aimed “to follow up on the agreements reached between the two presidents [Trump and Sharaa] and establish clear implementation mechanisms.”

Significantly, the Syrian foreign ministry reported that “the two sides agreed to move forward with the implementation of the March 10 Agreement” between Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. The deal aims to integrate the Kurdish-led forces into the Syrian state as “part of the process of unifying institutions and enhancing national security,” the ministry said.

The ministry also noted that “the American side affirmed its support for reaching a peace agreement with Israel aimed at enhancing regional stability.”

On the economic front, Trump was cited as expressing “his country’s support for efforts toward economic revitalization and investment in Syria, affirming his administration’s commitment to lifting imposed sanctions and providing concessional loans to enhance development opportunities and attract investments.”

Importantly, against the backdrop of the visit, the US announced on Monday a 180-day suspension of the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, the Treasury Department confirmed, with certain exceptions for transactions involving Russia and Iran."

The Treasury said the move is part of Trump’s “delivering on his commitment to give Syria ‘a chance at greatness” and “to let them rebuild and thrive by lifting US sanctions and ensuring accountability for harmful actors”.

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, commonly known as the Caesar Act, is a US legislation that sanctions the former Syrian government, including ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, for war crimes against the Syrian population.

The Treasury Department elaborated that the Monday decision replaces an earlier waiver of Caesar Act sanctions issued in May.