US, Türkiye, Gulf, Europe 'shoulder-to-shoulder' with Syria: US envoy
ISTANBUL
This handout photograph taken and released by Turkish Foreign Ministry press service on May 24, 2025, shows US Ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack (L) during a meeting with Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul.
The U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, said on Sunday that America stands with partners in supporting Syrian reconstruction.
"We are standing with Türkiye, the Gulf, and Europe—this time not with troops and lectures, or imaginary boundaries, but shoulder-to-shoulder with the Syrian people themselves," Barrack wrote on X.
The ambassador criticized past Western policies, referencing the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement that divided the region for "imperial gain—not peace."
"That mistake cost generations. We will not make it again," the envoy emphasized, underlining: "The era of Western interference is over."
He said the future of Syria will come with regional solutions and partnerships and diplomacy "grounded in respect.”
Barrack urged that Syria's "tragedy was born in division," saying its "rebirth must come through dignity, unity, and investment in its people.”
The statement follows significant policy changes regarding Syria. The U.S. issued general license sanctions relief after President Donald Trump ordered the removal of "brutal and crippling" sanctions to give Syria "a chance at greatness."
Trump recently held a historic meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh.
The EU similarly lifted economic sanctions on Syria on Tuesday to support reconstruction efforts.
"With the fall of the (Bashar) Assad regime, the door is open to peace," the envoy said, emphasizing that sanctions elimination enables Syrians to "discover a path to renewed prosperity and security."
Sharaa met with Barrack on May 24 in Istanbul.
“Today, I met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani in Istanbul to implement President [Donald] Trump’s bold decision to provide a path for peace and prosperity in Syria,” Barrack said on X.
"President Trump's goal is to enable the new government to create the conditions for the Syrian people to not only survive but thrive.
"I stressed the cessation of sanctions against Syria will preserve the integrity of our primary objective, the enduring defeat of ISIS [ISIL] and will give the people of Syria a chance for a better future."
“I also commended President al-Sharaa on taking meaningful steps towards enacting President Trump’s points on foreign terrorist fighters, counter-ISIS measures, relations with Israel and camps and detention centers in NE Syria,” he added.
Both sides affirmed their “commitment to continuing these important conversations and to working together to develop private sector investment in Syria to rebuild the economy, including through investment by regional and global partners such as Türkiye, the Gulf, Europe and the United States.”
The meeting was “historic, putting the issue of sanctions — as President Trump has indicated — far behind us, and resulting in joint commitment of both our countries to drive forward, quickly, with investment, development, and worldwide branding of a new, welcoming Syria without sanctions,” he concluded.
Erdoğan-Sharaa meeting
Istanbul also hosted another crucial meeting on the same day, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Sharaa, with the talks also attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Yaşar Güler, intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın, as well as Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani.
In the an-hour-and-a-half meeting, Erdoğan told Sharaa that the Türkiye-Syria cooperation will grow in all areas, according to a statement by the Turkish leader’s office.
Erdoğan also expressed his belief that Syria will see brighter and more peaceful days ahead, retiring that Ankara will continue to stand by Damascus as it has until now.
"Our President told Sharaa ... that Türkiye welcomed the lifting of sanctions," his office said.
