Syria hails decision to remove its name from sanctions lists under US federal laws

ISTANBUL

Syria welcomes the US Treasury Department’s decision to remove Syria’s name from sanctions lists imposed on it in the Code of Federal Laws, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.

The ministry affirmed in a statement that the step “represents a positive development in the right direction, which will directly reflect on the humanitarian and economic conditions of the Syrian people and contribute to facilitating trade and financial movement and lifting restrictions on US exports to Syria, thus alleviating the suffering of citizens and opening new horizons for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.”

Syria “believes that the coincidence of the decision with the visit of the second official delegation from the US Congress to Damascus carries an important significance in opening a new page in bilateral relations based on mutual respect and constructive dialogue,” it said.

In this context, President Ahmed al-Sharaa received a senior delegation in Damascus from the US Congress consisting of Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Joe Wilson, accompanied by Ambassador Tom Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Syria.

The ministry said the delegation “held meetings with the President in the presence of the Ministers of Defense, Interior, Social Affairs and Labor as they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and open new horizons for cooperation between the two countries.”

The meeting affirmed “the growing support of the US Congress for steps to fully lift US sanctions imposed on Syria, including efforts to cancel the Caesar Act by the end of this year.”

“President al-Sharaa expressed his appreciation for the efforts made in Congress in this regard, stressing that these simultaneous developments, between the lifting of restrictions and sanctions on the one hand, and the official visits on the other, constitute a continuation of a practical and realistic path that serves the interests of the Syrian people and enhances security and stability in the region.”

The ministry added that the Syrian government “affirms its commitment to continuing dialogue and cooperation with all international partners, based on the principles of sovereignty and mutual respect in a way that serves the stability and prosperity of the Syrian people and peoples of the region.”

The US Treasury announced Monday that it is lifting sanctions on Syria, clearing the way for American companies to resume business with Damascus.

According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the measure will come into effect on Tuesday, ending restrictions first imposed in 2004 and later expanded throughout the Syrian conflict.

The decision comes in the wake of the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime last December.

Trump had already issued an executive order in June directing the removal of sanctions.

In its statement, OFAC said it was striking the Syrian Sanctions Regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations “as a result of the termination of the national emergency on which the regulations were based and further changes to US policy toward Syria.”