ISTANBUL
Syria welcomed an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump on Monday that lifts the bulk of American sanctions on the country, calling it an historic shift that could pave the way for national recovery and reintegration into the international community.
“We welcome the lifting of the majority of sanctions imposed on the Syrian Arab Republic under the historic executive decision signed by President Trump,” Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said in a post on X.
He described the move as “a significant turning point” that will help steer Syria into a new phase of prosperity, stability and openness to the world.
“With this major barrier to economic recovery removed, long-awaited doors to reconstruction and development are now open,” Shaibani said, adding the decision would allow for the rehabilitation of vital infrastructure and create the necessary conditions for the safe and dignified return of displaced Syrians to their homeland.
The White House said that Trump signed an executive order to terminate the US sanctions program on Syria.
“The United States is committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors,” Trump said in the order posted by the official Rapid Response account of the Trump 47 White House on X.
Earlier in the day, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the move aims to support Syria’s “path to stability and peace.”
Trump announced during a speech at an investment forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh on May 13 that he would lift the “brutal and crippling” sanctions on Syria. A day later, he held a landmark meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia—the first meeting between US and Syrian leaders in 25 years.
Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly a quarter century, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, marking the end of the Baath Party’s decades-long rule, which began in 1963.
Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces that ousted Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.