US Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack to serve as special envoy to Syria

ANKARA

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Thomas Barrack (L) shakes hands with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan within an informal meeting of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers in Antalya, on May 15, 2025.

U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack on Friday announced he has assumed the role of special envoy to Syria, as the Donald Trump administration continues to work on lifting sanctions on Damascus.

"As President Trump’s representative in Türkiye, I am proud to assume the role of the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and support Secretary Rubio in the realization of the President’s vision," Barrack said in a statement.

"The cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective — the enduring defeat of ISIS — and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future," Barrack said. "In this way, we, together with regional partners including Turkiye and the Gulf, are enabling the Syrian government to restore peace, security, and the hope of prosperity."

“In the words of the President,” he added, “we will work together, and we will succeed together.”

Last week, Trump announced at an investment forum in Saudi Arabia that he would lift the “brutal and crippling” sanctions on Syria at the request of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A day later, Trump held a historic meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh — the first between U.S. and Syrian leaders in 25 years.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington supports efforts to help the new Syrian government succeed, warning that failure could lead to further war and regional instability.

“We want to help that government succeed because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilize the entire region,” Rubio told a Senate committee.

US issues immediate sanctions relief for Syria

The U.S. issued a general license providing immediate sanctions relief for Syria, the Treasury Department said Friday.

"As President Trump promised, the Treasury Department and the State Department are implementing authorizations to encourage new investment into Syria.

"Syria must also continue to work towards becoming a stable country that is at peace, and today’s actions will hopefully put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous, and stable future," Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement.