The Syrian president for the transitional phase, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, arrived in the United States early Sunday morning on an official visit.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that “Al-Sharaa will hold official talks at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, in a move that reflects a notable shift in relations between Damascus and Washington after years of estrangement and sanctions.”
In a parallel development, the United Nations Security Council voted last Thursday in favor of a resolution lifting the sanctions imposed on the Syrian president. Fourteen of the council’s fifteen members supported the resolution, including Russia, while none voted against it, and China abstained.
It is noteworthy that Trump had met with Al-Sharaa on May 13 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and announced during the meeting the lifting of sanctions on Syria. He also informed him of the need to take several steps, foremost among them normalizing relations with Israel.
At the end of June, Trump signed an executive order lifting the sanctions imposed on Syria while directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. On August 25, the U.S. Department of the Treasury officially announced the removal of Syria from the American sanctions list.