ISTANBUL

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the agency is taking steps to ease sanctions on Syria, following President Donald Trump's pledge to give the country "a fresh start."

"The Treasury Department is moving to provide sanctions relief to stabilize and move Syria towards peace," Bessent wrote on X.

The announcement came one day after Trump declared his intention to lift sanctions in Saudi Arabia. "I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness. It’s their time to shine,” Trump said in Riyadh.

Trump said he made this decision after consultations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump held his first-ever meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, with bin Salman in attendance and Erdogan participating via phone.

The American president described the meeting as "great" and praised al-Sharaa as a "tough guy" with a "strong past."