Erdogan backs lifting sanctions on Syria as he meets Al Shara

Syrian leader also meets new US envoy during surprise visit to Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara during their meeting in Istanbul. AFP

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told President Ahmad Al Shara he welcomed US and EU decisions to lift sanctions on Syria during a surprise meeting between the two leaders in Istanbul on Saturday.

The Turkish President also said that “Israel's occupation and aggression in Syrian territory is unacceptable”. He added that Ankara will continue to oppose Israel's actions.

Turkey's foreign and defence ministers attended the talks, along with the head of the Turkish MIT intelligence agency. Their Syrian counterparts also attended.

Mr Al Shara and his Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani met the new US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, who is also ambassador to Turkey, on Saturday.

Mr Barrack said the meeting was held in order to “implement President [Donald] Trump’s bold decision to provide a path for peace and prosperity in Syria”.

“President Trump’s goal is to enable the new government to create the conditions for the Syrian people to not only survive but thrive,” he added.

He said the meeting concluded with a “joint commitment of both our countries to drive forward, quickly, with investment, development, and worldwide branding of a new, welcoming Syria without sanctions”.

The Syrian leader has had a remarkable two weeks that included meeting the US President in Riyadh. Mr Trump pledged to lift crippling economic sanctions on Syria at that meeting.

On Friday, the US Treasury Department announced a general licence for Syria, providing immediate sanctions relief. The lifting of sanctions is seen as a key enabler for the new government and will support Syria’s reconstruction after a devastating civil war.

US introduces sanctions relief for Syria

The US licence, known as GL25, “authorises transactions prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria,” said the Treasury in a statement on Friday.

“As President Trump promised, the Treasury Department and the State Department are implementing authorisations to encourage new investment into Syria,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Trump meets Al Shara after vowing to remove US sanctions on Syria

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“Syria must also continue to work towards becoming a stable country that is at peace, and today’s actions will hopefully put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous and stable future.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also issued a 180-day waiver under the Caesar Act to ensure that sanctions do not obstruct investment, and to enable the provision of electricity, energy, water and sanitation and enable humanitarian efforts, he said.

“Today’s actions represent the first step in delivering on the President’s vision of a new relationship between Syria and the United States,” said Mr Rubio, adding that Mr Trump had made clear his expectation that sanctions relief would be followed by action by the Syrian government.

Mr Trump unexpectedly announced last week that he would lift the sanctions at the behest of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a major US policy shift.

The White House said after Mr Trump met Mr Al Shara in Riyadh that the US President asked Syria to adhere to several conditions in exchange for sanctions relief, including telling all foreign militants to leave the country, deporting what he called Palestinian terrorists and helping the US prevent the resurgence of ISIS.

The waivers do not allow for transactions that benefit Russia, Iran or North Korea, and are intended to help rebuild Syria’s economy, financial sector and infrastructure, in line with US foreign policy interests, according to the Treasury Department.

Syria welcomes 'positive step'

Syria welcomed the sanctions waiver on Saturday. The Foreign Ministry called it a “positive step in the right direction to alleviate the country's humanitarian and economic suffering”.

Syria is keen on co-operating with other countries “on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs”, the ministry said. “It believes that dialogue and diplomacy are the best path to building balanced relations.”

Most of the US sanctions against Syria were imposed on the government of Bashar Al Assad and his allies in 2011, after the civil war erupted. Mr Al Shara led militias that overthrew Mr Al Assad's regime in December.

The general licence names Mr Al Shara, formerly sanctioned under the name Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani, among the people and entities with whom transactions are now authorised. It also lists Syrian Arab Airlines, the Central Bank of Syria and several other banks, state oil and gas companies and the Four Seasons Damascus hotel.

With additional reporting from Reuters