US ambassador to Türkiye urges Congress to support full repeal of sanctions to aid Syria

US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Thursday praised Syria’s “remarkable transformation from isolation to partnership” and called on the US Congress to fully lift the Caesar Act sanctions, a set of measures drawn up years ago to target the Assad regime.

Barrack hailed President Ahmad al Sharaa’s visit to Washington last week as “a decisive turning point in the modern history of the Middle East – and in the remarkable transformation of Syria from isolation to partnership.”

Al Sharaa on Monday met US President Donald Trump at the White House, in the first-ever visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946.

“In a warm and substantive meeting this week, President Donald J. Trump and President al Sharaa reaffirmed a shared conviction: that the time has come to replace estrangement with engagement, and to give Syria – and its people – a genuine chance at renewal,” Barrack said on the US social media company X.

Syria’s participation in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Daesh stands as “a historic framework marking Syria’s transition from a source of terrorism to a counterterrorism partner” and a commitment to counterterrorism efforts, he said.

Türkiye’s ‘steadfast diplomacy’ on Syria

Barrack, who also serves as US ambassador to Ankara, hailed Türkiye’s “tireless role” in supporting Syria’s resurgence, calling it “a testament to the quiet, steadfast diplomacy that builds bridges where walls once stood.”

He also urged the US Congress to take a “historic step” and fully repeal Caesar Act sanctions to empower the new Syrian government and to “allow the Syrian people and their regional neighbours to not only survive but to thrive.”

The 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act was a pillar of US policy to pressure the regime of deposed leader Bashar al Assad and block international investments and economic transactions involving the Syrian regime and its affiliates.

Since Assad’s ouster last year, Syria has been seeking to expand cooperation with regional and international partners in various fields and lift economic and political sanctions amid efforts to rebuild the war-torn nation after some 13 years of civil war.

A series of sanctions have already been lifted, including the removal of Syria from the US Treasury Department’s sanction list and the delisting of senior officials from UN and US terror-related sanctions.

The lifting of the remaining sanctions, especially the Caesar Act, appears imminent, with the US signalling a near-complete removal of the restrictions.

On Monday, the Caesar sanctions were suspended for a second 180-day period.