Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, who is also the new special envoy for Syria, met with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa on May 24.
“Today, I met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani in Istanbul to implement President Trump’s bold decision to provide a path for peace and prosperity in Syria,” Barrack wrote on social media.
Sharaa met US President Donald Trump earlier in May in Riyadh. Since then, the US has moved to lift sanctions, a move welcomed by the Syrian president. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has waived an important sanctions act for 180 days. Barrack said that he “reiterated the United States’ support for the Syrian people after so many years of conflict and violence and Secretary Rubio’s position that if we had not acted so promptly and deliberately to remove sanctions our partners in the region would not be able to provide donor dollars, supplies, and energy to relieve the plight and trauma of the traumatized Syrian population.”
The US envoy noted that “President Trump’s goal is to enable the new government to create the conditions for the Syrian people to not only survive but thrive.”
The US ambassador also noted that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had hosted a meeting between the US and Syria and that the message of the meeting is that “Syria is now open for business.” This comes as Turkey moves to also quickly invest in Syria. Reports also indicate Turkey may want to expand defense ties with Damascus.
Ambassador Barrack also stressed that “the cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective – the enduring defeat of ISIS – and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future.”
Syrian government agrees to help US locate, return missing US citizens
He “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 centers in [northeast] Syria.”
Barrack also referred to important investments by Turkey, the Gulf, Europe, and the US. “This meeting was historic, putting the issue of sanctions – as President Trump has indicated – far behind us, and resulting in a joint commitment of both our countries to drive forward, quickly, with investment, development, and worldwide branding of a new, welcoming Syria without sanctions,” he wrote.
On May 25, Barrack noted that there had been more progress with Syria. He said that a powerful step forward has been taken in bringing missing Americans home.
“The new Syrian government has agreed to assist the USA in locating and returning US citizens or their remains. The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller must have closure.”
Mueller was killed after being taken hostage by ISIS. Tice has been missing in Syria for more than a decade, and he was assumed to have been captured by the former Syrian regime. Hopes emerged in December when the Assad regime fell that he might be found, but that has not yet occurred.
“President Trump has made it clear that bringing home US citizens or honoring, with dignity, their remains is a major priority everywhere. The new Syrian Government will aid us in this commitment,” Barrack wrote.
He also praised US Congressman Abe Hamadeh for championing “justice for Kayla Mueller.”
Honoring her legacy, Hamadeh took his oath of office on Kayla’s family’s Bible. He and the Mueller family will finally find a cooperative Syrian government counterpart to bring truth and closure.”
Syrian state media highlighted the important meeting with the US envoy. The news site SANA noted that US “Republican Party member, Robert Arlett, said that lifting sanctions imposed on Syria is considered an important step to push the country forward and help the Syrians to overcome the difficult phase they have lived [through] over the past decades.” The report quoted a Cairo media channel with Arlett saying that “US President Donald Trump was clear in his strategy as he works to lift a number of sanctions on Syria and alleviate obstacles hindering the economy.”
Arlett went on to say, “President Trump’s visit to the Middle East two weeks ago was of highly significant, contributing to the establishment of new relations with regional leaders and paving the way for more stable relations and more economic opportunities.”
Several members of the US Congress have discussed the importance of the US engaging with Syria. Congress members Joe Wilson, Marlin Stutzman, and Cory Mills have also been key players in these efforts.