The United States has suspended economic sanctions on Syria for six more months following a historic meeting between Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington. This visit marks the first official trip of a Syrian president to the White House in the history of bilateral relations between the two countries.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that the suspension of the so-called “Caesar Act” sanctions has been extended. This decision was made in conjunction with a closed-door meeting between Al-Shara and Trump at the White House. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations, ways to strengthen cooperation, and regional and international issues.
The new suspension covers provisions of the Caesar Act, a law enacted in 2019 that prohibited any transactions between American companies and the Syrian government or military.
After the meeting, Donald Trump described Ahmad Al-Shara as a “strong leader” and said: “He has come from a very difficult place and is a hard-working man. We will do everything we can to help Syria succeed because it is part of the Middle East. For the first time in history, we have peace in the region.”