Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Shara Meets U.S. President Donald Trump

Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Shara Meets U.S. President Donald Trump

Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Shara met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh. The meeting came just a day after President Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria.

This is the first meeting between top leaders of the two countries since the year 2000. Trump’s office had earlier stated that the two leaders would only exchange greetings.

According to Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was present during the meeting between Donald Trump and al-Shara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also joined the meeting via online video link.

The United States had imposed major sanctions on Syria for years, making it difficult for the country to access aid and financial assistance.

Following Trump’s announcement yesterday to lift the sanctions, people in Syria’s capital, Damascus, took to the streets in celebration.

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, Mr. Shara officially assumed responsibility for Syria last December.

However, just last year, the U.S. had announced a $10 million reward for the capture of Ahmed al-Shara — a bounty that was withdrawn after discussions with the new Syrian administration in December.