Trump met with Syrian President in Saudi Arabia, normalization of Washington-Damascus relations

(Patria) - United States President Donald Trump met with the Syrian President in Saudi Arabia, following a surprise US announcement that it would lift all sanctions against the Syrian government, and stated that Washington is considering the possibility of normalizing relations with Damascus.

Trump made this statement during a summit between the United States and the Arab Gulf countries. Before the summit, he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Photos released by Saudi state television show the two shaking hands in the presence of the Saudi Crown Prince.

Trump also called on Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel, said a White House spokesperson.

Despite concerns within certain sectors of his administration due to the Syrian leader's past ties with Al-Qaeda, Trump stated on Tuesday during a speech in Riyadh that he would lift sanctions on Syria, representing a major shift in US policy.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan virtually joined Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) at the meeting, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

MbS said during the summit that Saudi Arabia welcomes Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Syria.

The lifting of sanctions comes despite deep Israeli mistrust of Sharaa's administration, concerns initially shared by some US officials. Israeli officials continue to describe Sharaa as a jihadist, even though he severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. The Israeli government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This decision represents a major boost for Sharaa, who is struggling to bring the country under the control of the Damascus government after overthrowing former President Bashar al-Assad in December.

The challenges became apparent in March, when Assad's supporters attacked government forces, triggering retaliatory attacks in which Islamist fighters killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority, drawing sharp condemnation from the US.

Sharaa had been the leader of Al-Qaeda's official branch in the Syrian conflict for years. He initially joined the group in Iraq, where he spent five years in US prison. The United States removed the $10 million reward for his capture in December.

Trump's first day of a four-day tour of the Gulf region was marked by lavish ceremonies and business deals, including Saudi Arabia's commitment to invest $600 billion in the US and a contract for the US to sell arms to the kingdom worth $142 billion.

Trump will later travel to the Qatari capital, Doha, where he will pay an official visit with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and other officials. Qatar, a key US ally, is expected to announce investments in the US worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

US ally Israel opposed the easing of sanctions on Syria, but Trump said on Tuesday that he was prompted to take this step by Saudi MbS and Erdogan, both of whom have close ties with the US president.