Syria considers the transfer by the Trump administration to ease sanctions imposed on the war-torn nation as a “positive step” to ease humanitarian and financial struggling, its Foreign Ministry mentioned.
In an announcement, the Ministry mentioned Syria “extends its hand” to anybody that wishes to cooperate with Damascus, on the situation that there isn’t any intervention within the nation’s inner affairs.
The assertion got here after the Trump administration granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions on Friday (May 23, 2025) in a serious first step towards fulfilling the president’s pledge to elevate a half-century of penalties on a rustic shattered by 14 years of civil conflict.
Thomas Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkiye who has additionally been appointed as particular envoy for Syria, met with Syria’s president and overseas minister throughout their go to to Turkiye on Saturday, including the President Ahmad al-Sharaa welcomed Washington’s “fast action on lifting sanctions.” “President Trump’s goal is to enable the new government to create the conditions for the Syrian people to not only survive but thrive,” Mr. Barrack mentioned in an announcement.
Mr. Barrack mentioned he confused that the cessation of sanctions towards Syria will protect the integrity “of our primary objective — the enduring defeat of” the Islamic State group, additionally identified as IS or ISIS. He added that it’ll give Syrians an opportunity for a greater 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 centres in Northeast Syria,” Mr. Barrack mentioned.
He was referring to detention centres the place hundreds of IS members are held and two camps the place their households keep in areas presently managed by the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
A measure by the State Department waived for six months a troublesome set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019. A Treasury Department motion suspended enforcement of sanctions towards anybody doing enterprise with a variety of Syrian people and entities, together with Syria’s central financial institution.
The congressional sanctions, identified as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, had aimed to isolate Syria’s earlier rulers by successfully expelling these doing enterprise with them from the worldwide monetary system. They particularly block post-war reconstruction, so whereas they are often waived for 180 days by government order, traders are probably to be cautious of reconstruction initiatives when sanctions might be reinstated after six months.
The Trump administration mentioned Friday’s actions had been “just one part of a broader U.S. government effort to remove the full architecture of sanctions.” Those penalties had been imposed on the Assad household for his or her help of Iranian-backed militias, their chemical weapons program and abuses of civilians.
Mr. Trump mentioned throughout a go to to the area earlier this month that the US would roll again the heavy monetary penalties in a bid to give the interim authorities a greater probability of survival.
Damascus resident Nael Kaddah mentioned now that the sanctions are being eased, the nation will flourish once more. He mentioned Syrians might be in a position to switch cash freely, not like previously when there have been a number of corporations that monopolized the enterprise and took giant commissions on transfers.
“Now any citizen can receive a transfer from anywhere in the world,” he mentioned.
Syria’s overseas ministry mentioned dialogue and diplomacy are the easiest way to construct “balanced relations that achieve the interest of the people and strengthen security and stability in the region.” It added that the approaching interval in Syria might be reconstruction and restoring “Syria’s natural status” within the area and around the globe.
Published – May 25, 2025 12:27 pm IST
