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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- 14 May 2025 07:36
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US President Donald Trump reportedly met with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday. It was the first time the leaders of the two countries had met since 2000. The White House announced the meeting on Tuesday, saying it would be a "greetings only" meeting. Ahead of the meeting, Trump said he would lift sanctions on Syria.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeTrump praises Syrian president: Attractive guy, with a warrior's past
Photo: Associated Press
US President Donald Trump has commented on his brief meeting with Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, during his flight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Doha, Qatar.
Trump called Sharaan "an attractive, tough guy," adding that he has a past as a fighter.
"Young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Warrior," Trump said when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One.
The American president added that he thinks Syria would join the Abraham Accords at some point, to normalize relations with Israel, which is also one of the requests he made to Sharaa during the meeting.
"I think they need to get themselves together. I said to him, 'I hope you'll come together.' He said, 'Yes.' But they have a lot of work to do," Trump said.
The five demands Trump made to the Syrian leader
Photo: Associated Press
US President Donald Trump has given Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, several demands during their meeting on Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said Trump gave Sharaa five requests during the meeting:
Sign the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.
To expel all foreign terrorists.
Specifically, Trump has singled out "Palestinian terrorists" for deportation.
Help the United States prevent the resurgence of the so-called Islamic State group
Take responsibility for detention centers linked to the group in northeastern Syria.
The Trump-Al-Sharaa meeting is being considered historic, because it is the first time since 2000 that the leaders of the two countries have met.
Trump announced the day before, also in Riyadh, that he would lift all sanctions on Syria, saying that this would give Syrians the opportunity "to shine" after years of war.
Syria had been designated by the US as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979, when ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, was president.
Further sanctions and restrictions were imposed on Syria in 2003.
After the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the US government had increased sanctions, in an effort to deprive the regime of the resources it needed "to continue violence against civilians and to pressure the Syrian regime to allow a democratic transition."
The sanctions freeze assets and property interests in the US of Syrian officials, including Bashar al-Assad, as well as investments in Syria or exports of goods there by US citizens.
Gasoline of Syrian origin also could not be imported into the US.
Trump made the remarks on Tuesday at an investment forum, and also on Wednesday at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, both held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Why is Trump's meeting with the Syrian president important?
Photo: Associated Press
US President Donald Trump's meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa represents an important opportunity to reinforce Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's vision for the future of the Middle East.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria has marked a significant loss for the Islamic Republic of Iran, and a major opportunity for Saudi Arabia to curb Iranian influence in the Arab world.
However, Assad's departure is not enough to strengthen Saudi and Turkish bases in Syria, writes the BBC.
What both countries need is a stable government under al-Sharaa's leadership, capable of restoring security, facilitating economic recovery, and leading the reconstruction of a war-torn country.
Dust on your head #Iraqi #shameless_Khameneh شیا زامبی بازی جولانی متعسب هم با # آمریکا #Trump دیدار کرد بعد واحدیو بنیر برند کیرد کیدید بری نوع #negotiations دلقك بازی موشکت پرانی سکاک از نیابتی #Palestine # لبنان #Yemen
— 🌘 (@clarinetromance) May 14, 2025
#Trump #SaudiArabia # Israel # Syria # Iran pic.twitter.com/n5qk95jEEz
The lifting of fifty-year-old US sanctions against Syria, reportedly at the request of Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, paves the way for significant Saudi and Turkish investment in Syria.
American companies are also expected to benefit from the opening, especially in the energy sector.
Trump's meeting with al-Sharaan will go a long way in giving international legitimacy to a man once known by his given name, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, due to his past ties to al-Qaeda.
Erdogan, part of Trump meeting - Al-Sharaa
Photo: Associated Press
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly attended the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that Erdogan joined the meeting via video link.
The meeting was also attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Trump-Al-Sharaa meeting is the first between US and Syrian leaders since 2000.
The meeting comes a day after Trump announced that he would lift sanctions on Syria, during a lengthy speech at the Investment Forum held in Riyadh on Tuesday.
Trump and Al-Sharaa meet
Photo: Associated Press
US President Donald Trump reportedly met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
It is the first time since 2000 that the leaders of the two countries have met, the BBC reports.
The White House announced the meeting on Tuesday, stressing that it would be a meeting just to say hello.
Dust on your head #Iraqi #shameless_Khameneh شیا زامبی بازی جولانی متعسب هم با # آمریکا #Trump دیدار کرد بعد واحدیو بنیر برند کیرد کیدید بری نوع #negotiations دلقك بازی موشکت پرانی سکاک از نیابتی #Palestine # لبنان #Yemen
— 🌘 (@clarinetromance) May 14, 2025
#Trump #SaudiArabia # Israel # Syria # Iran pic.twitter.com/n5qk95jEEz
The US offered $10 million for him last year, today Trump meets Al-Sharaan
Photo: Associated Press
Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, officially took office a month after the rapid fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December.
His forces led a coalition of militant groups in a swift campaign that toppled the brutal regime that had ruled the war-torn country for decades.
He was previously an al-Qaeda commander but has since severed ties with the group. When he took on the role, al-Sharaa stressed that Syria's new government faced a "heavy task and a great responsibility," the BBC reports.
After the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, 90% of Syria's population was below the poverty line, as violence continued with clashes between armed Islamist factions, security forces and fighters from the Druze religious minority.
There were also mass killings of hundreds of civilians from the minority Alawite community in the western coastal region in March, during clashes between new security forces and Assad loyalists.
Trump's announcement on Tuesday of lifting sanctions has been met with positivity in Syria, and the meeting between al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump will be the first time American and Syrian leaders have met since 2000.
The move could also mark a further thaw in relations between the two countries, after the US removed a $10 million reward for al-Sharaa's arrest in December following diplomatic meetings.