Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Syria’s foreign minister on Thursday, the latest sign of growing U.S. support after President Trump announced this week that he was lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria.
The meeting in Antalya, Turkey, came two days after Mr. Trump made the surprise sanctions announcement during a visit to Saudi Arabia, which could throw Syria a desperately needed economic lifeline after nearly 14 years of civil war and decades of dictatorship. The next day, Mr. Trump met Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Shara, a former rebel leader, for the first time.
In their meeting on Thursday, Mr. Rubio and his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, discussed a road map for lifting sanctions, according to statements from the Turkish and Syrian foreign ministries. The exact terms of the process and timeline remain unclear.
Mr. Trump’s pledge to end the sanctions was widely seen as a major victory for Syria’s new authorities, led by Mr. al-Shara, who has sought to establish his government on the world stage after his rebel coalition ousted the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.
The timeline for removing sanctions and the mechanism by which they will be lifted remained unclear. While the president has the power to lift some restrictions, Congress would have to remove others, and experts warn that the process for doing so will take time.
on Thursday, the Treasury Department announced on X that it was starting the process of lifting sanctions at Mr. Trump’s direction.
“Treasury is working with our colleagues at the State Department and National Security Council to execute the president’s direction on Syria sanctions,” the statement said. “Treasury’s actions can help rebuild Syria’s economy, financial sector and infrastructure and could put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous and stable future.”
In the meeting in Turkey, American officials emphasized the importance of establishing mutual trust between the United States and Syria. They also urged Syria’s new leadership to fight terrorism on Syrian soil, according to a statement from the Turkish foreign ministry.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan of Turkey also attended the meeting, the ministry said, as did Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey joined online.
Mr. Trump’s pledge on Tuesday to lift sanctions kicked off a week of political victories for Mr. al-Shara, who has sought to remake his image from a jihadist to a moderate statesman since his rebel coalition seized power.
Mr. al-Shara once led a branch of Al Qaeda before breaking ties with the jihadist group, and the United States designates the rebel organization he led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as a terrorist organization.
Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. al-Shara in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday was the first time in 25 years that the two countries’ leaders had met. The meeting was a boost to Mr. al-Shara as he seeks international support for his government.
In a televised address to Syria on Wednesday night, Mr. al-Shara described the decision to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria as a turning point for the country, adding that it “alleviates the suffering of the people, contributes to their rebirth and lays the foundations for stability in the region.”
The United States first imposed sanctions on Syria in the 1970s, introducing more punishing restrictions on the Assad regime during Syria’s civil war. The sanctions were intended to put pressure on the dictatorship, but they remained entrenched for many years.
Soon after rebels ousted the Assad government, some Western governments — including Britain and those in the European Union — eased their sanctions on Syria. But the Trump administration put forth certain conditions it wanted met before the sanctions were eased.
Those included demands that Iran — a close ally of the Assad government — would not be welcome on Syrian territory, that Syria’s chemical weapons stores would be destroy and that foreign fighters who had fought alongside Mr. al-Shara’s rebel group would be excluded from government positions.
In his meeting with Mr. al-Shara, Mr. Trump urged him to continue to work to meet many of those conditions. It remains unclear what conditions Mr. Trump will demand Syria meet to follow through on the pledge to lift sanctions.
In recent years, U.S. sanctions have had a devastating effect on Syria’s economy. More than 90 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to the United Nations, and the value of the Syrian currency plummeted during the civil war.
Reviving Syria’s economy is among the most pressing challenges for the new government, and the lifting of U.S. sanctions could unlock millions in financial support and aid.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have said they would jointly repay Syria’s $15 million debt to the World Bank and have suggested they could pay public sector salaries, but are wary of violating U.S. sanctions.
Christina Goldbaum is the Afghanistan and Pakistan bureau chief for The Times, leading the coverage of the region.
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