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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday praised as 'brave and historic' US President Donald Trump's decision to lift all sanctions on the country.
In a live television address, Sharaa said that Trump's move 'to lift the sanctions was a brave and historic decision, which alleviates our people's suffering, contributes to the rebirth [of Syria], and lays the foundations for stability in the region.'
'Today, I am not only celebrating the lifting of sanctions on Syria, but our joy lies in the sincere brotherhood and the return of overwhelming feelings among our region's people,' he emphasized.
On Wednesday, Sharaa met Trump in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh and with the remote attendance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
'The participants emphasized the importance of lifting sanctions imposed on Syria and supporting its recovery and reconstruction process,' the Syrian foreign ministry said.
The meeting came a day after Trump announced that he will lift sanctions on Syria as part of a broader push to normalize relations with Damascus.
"I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness," Trump declared during a speech in Saudi Arabia - the first stop on a regional tour that also includes the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
A day prior, Trump had stated that he may ease US sanctions on Syria to allow Damascus a 'fresh start.'
'We're going to have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start,' he said, noting that Turkish President Erdogan and 'many people' had urged him to do so.
'The way we have them sanctioned, it doesn't really give them much of a start. So we want to see if we can help them out. We'll make that determination.'
In his speech, Sharaa thanked regional and foreign countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, and France, for supporting the new Syria and seeking to establish relations with the country.
'The new Syria participated in the most important international forums and conferences, raised its flag at the United Nations, and succeeded in opening closed doors, paving the way for strategic relations with Arab and Western countries,' he stressed.
Since taking power, the new leadership in Damascus has repeatedly called on the international community to lift Assad-era sanctions, arguing that they are hindering the country's economic recovery and post-war reconstruction.
Sharaa recalled the Assad era, lamenting that Syria's capabilities were threatened and it 'turned into a repulsive environment for its people, its neighbors, the region, and the world' during the Baathist reign.
He stressed that the new Syria 'will not be an arena for the struggle for influence and no platform for external ambitions, and we will not allow the division of Syria.'
'Syria is for all Syrians,' Sharaa said.
On December 8, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), then commanded by Sharaa, ousted the Assad regime. Sharaa was appointed interim president in late January.
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