US Ambassador to Turkey: Lifting Sanctions on Syria Will Preserve US Goal of Defeating ISIS

(Patria) - US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack met in Istanbul on Saturday with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, according to an official statement seen by Al Arabiya.

Barrack said that lifting sanctions on Syria will preserve the US goal of defeating ISIS.

"I emphasized that the cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary goal – the lasting defeat of ISIS – and give the people of Syria a chance for a better future," he said in a statement released after the meeting.

"I also commended President al-Sharaa for taking significant steps towards implementing Trump's positions on foreign terrorist fighters, measures against ISIS, relations with Israel, and camps and detention centers in (northeastern) Syria," it added.

Barrack said that Syria and the US confirmed their commitment to investing in the private sector to rebuild the Syrian economy.

"The Syrian side and I confirmed our commitment to continuing these important discussions and working together to develop private sector investments in Syria to rebuild the economy, including through investments from regional and global partners such as Turkey, the Gulf, Europe, and the United States."

He said that the issue of sanctions on Syria has been resolved and that it is now time to create a "new, welcoming, sanction-free Syria."