Syria says Sharaa-Trump meeting addresses partnership in counterterrorism

By Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, addressed partnership in counterterrorism, the Syria’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Sharaa and Trump held their first-ever meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the meeting, which was also joined by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via phone call.

Calling the meeting “historic,” the foreign ministry said the meeting underlined the importance of lifting the sanctions imposed on Syria and supporting the recovery and reconstruction efforts.

“The meeting addressed ways of partnership between Syria and the US in the field of combating terrorism and cooperation in eliminating the influence of non-state actors and non-Syrian armed groups that hinder stability, including ISIS (Daesh) and other threats.”

According to the ministry, Trump affirmed his country’s commitment to standing by Syria during this critical phase.

Bin Salman, for his part, stressed the necessity of lifting sanctions on Syria to achieve stability in the region, the statement said.

The ministry added Sharaa expressed his gratitude for regional and international support, emphasizing Syria’s confident path toward the future.

According to the statement, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to follow up on bilateral coordination and reinforce understandings reached between the two countries.

On Tuesday, Trump said during the 2025 Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh that he would order the removal of “brutal and crippling” US sanctions on Syria to give that country “a chance at greatness.”