Al-Shar’a Meets Trump in Washington to Discuss Political, Economic, and Security Issues

U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting on Monday at the White House with Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Shar’a, who is visiting the United States on the first official trip by a Syrian leader to Washington in decades.

According to a statement issued by the White House, the talks focused on enhancing cooperation in political, security, and economic fields, as well as discussing Syria’s formal accession to the international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) and the continued lifting of sanctions imposed on Damascus.

Trump had noted a few days earlier that he had “moved to lift sanctions on Syria,” expressing his belief that al-Shar’a “is doing a good job leading the transitional phase,” according to U.S. media reports.

For its part, Syria’s Ministry of Information said that al-Shar’a’s visit aims to “strengthen bilateral relations with Washington” and emphasize the importance of lifting economic sanctions — particularly those related to the Caesar Act — to allow the resumption of investment activity and support economic recovery.

During his visit to Washington, the Syrian interim president also met with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, where the two sides discussed “Syria’s economic transformation and ways to support financial institutions during the recovery phase.” Al-Shar’a additionally held an extended meeting with the Syrian community in the United States, attended by Foreign Minister As’ad Hasan al-Shaybani and U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Brack.

Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Alabi, told Al Arabiya that al-Shar’a’s visit to the White House “represents an important step toward rebuilding Syrian–American relations,” noting that the discussions primarily focused on economic and security issues.