In a historic move, President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Washington DC this month for groundbreaking talks with White House leaders about the future of Syria.
The meeting marks the first time a Syrian leader has made an official visit to Washington.
On the agenda will be discussions on removing the existing sanctions, rebuilding war-torn Syria and implementing counter terrorism measures.
This follows Sharaa’s landmark September trip to New York where he addressed the UN General Assembly.
Technically, Syria and Israel are still at war but have opened negotiations since Sharaa seized power from former leader Bashar al-Assad late last year.
US President Doanld Trump is keen to push the peace process forward, expressing hope that Syria will join the Abraham Accords, a group of Arab countries committed to building relationships with Israel.
The meeting between Trump and Sharaa is extremely important in helping strengthen diplomatic relationships between the US and Syria, following decades of estrangement.
If talks are successful between the two leaders, it could pave the way for attracting much-need foreign investment to help rebuild Syria’s decimated infrastructure and encourage businesses back to the country to help repair the economy.
First on the agenda has to be the removal of existing sanctions: the US government has voted to repeal the Caesar Act but restrictions are still in place meaning the Syrian economy remains in crisis.
And while US officials agree swift action must be taken, there are conditions that Syria must comply with first and these will be reviewed every 120 days.
The US government want Syria to commit to global efforts to defeat ISIS, maintain peaceful relations with neighbouring countries, safeguard minority groups within Syria, cease financing or harbouring any terrorist organisations, remove foreign fighters from state institutions and investigate any abuse of human rights since the Assad regime was overthrown.
Syria has already begun making steps towards peace by withdrawing its heavy weaponry in the south where Israeli troops currently hold nine posts.
Following talks between Israel and Syria, Sharaa has confirmed plans for disarming the area and his hopes that Israeli troops will return to their prior positions.
According to sources, Israel and Syria are prepared to sign a security agreement – a move that will help cement relations with the US and encourage the removal of sanctions.
It’s also expected that Sharaa will sign an agreement to join an international US-led alliance against ISIS.
The partnership will be particularly historic given that Sharaa previously led Syria’s offshoot of al-Qaeda and had a $10m US reward on his head.
His anti-Assad group broke away from the network around ten years ago and later clashed with ISIS.
Strengthening Syria’s relationship with Washington will also help reduce the risk of Balkinisation, easing geopolitical tensions and limiting Russian and Iranian regional influence.
A successful meeting between Trump and Sharaa is imperative for rebuilding Syria and will kickstart investment, bolster the economy, and boost confidence both for Syrian civilians and the wider business community.
