by Miceál O’Hurley
RIYADH — United States President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would be lifting its Syria sanctions regime. The U.S. had imposed and expanded it multiple times since designating the country as a State Sponsor of Terror in 1979. Imposed and calibrated in incrementally growing measures, the sanctions were meant to deprive the government of Hafez al-Assad from continuing to promote and support terrorist activities and oppress the Syrian people. After his 29-year dictatorship his son, Bashar al-Assad succeeded him in July 2000, largely continuing his father’s policies. Syria was subjected to increasing sanctions from 2004 onward, growing in scale and scope during Syria’s 13-year civil war. Al-Assad’s government was toppled in December 2024.
The move by the U.S. to lift its sanctions regime on Syria was energetically supported by Türkiye as part of its efforts to help stabilise Syria and provide the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa breathing room to establish a semblance of domestic security. Trump’s suprising move marks a departure from his and his Administration’s hesitancy to embrace the progress made by al-Sharaa’s interim government. The removal of sanctions will prove vital for Syrian security, kick-start recovering efforts and assist Syria in building a functional economy. Yesterday’s announcement represents the increasing influence of Ankara in regional and international affairs.
Troops under the command of Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew al-Assad in a lighting offensive in December 2024. Al-Assad fled to Russia taking with him immeasurable, liquid-asset State resources in the chaos of troops liberating Damascus. Al-Sharaa quickly formed council to help bring stability to Syria. In March, he formed an interim government reflecting the panoply of Syrian civil society actors representing all ethnic and religious factions. This move was met with international aplomb. However, al-Sharaa still faced the competing and intertwined difficulties of maintaining domestic security in the face of pro al-Assad militants hoping to topple the new government while facing scarcity of goods and services due to a lack of funds.
Trump’s lifting of sanctions will undoubtedly prove one of his key foreign policy achievements with a potential to help transform Syria. However, it is Erdoğan and Türkiye who deserve the credit for their skillful campaign that rapidly changed the Trump Administration’s outlook on Syria and produced yesterday’s results.
By April 2025, the financial crisis in Syria was taking a toll on society despite high approval ratings for al-Sharaa and his government. Food scarcity was growing and the lack of financial resources to sustain what was left of Syria’s war-battered economy imperiled the future of the interim government. Albeit, al-Sharaa managed to maintain the support of the people but without resources it was anyone’s guess how long the relative tranquility achieved by the interim government could be maintained.
The key to Syria’s near-term success depended on international sanctions being lifted (See last month’s article: https://diplomacyireland.eu/syria_agency). According to United Nations World Food Programme Chief Operating Officer Carl Skau, the combination of sanctions and lackluster support from the international donor community were key impediments to confronting Syria’s worsening food insecurity crisis.
Trump’s decision was not only welcome, but surprising. It was only in December 2024, that the United States removed the offer of a $10m bounty for al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa had previously been part of al Qaeda.
After the meeting Trump praised al-Sharaa, “I think he has got the potential”. The short, 37-minutes long meeting included at the Saudi Royal Palace in Riyad included host Mohammad bin Salman. The participation of Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by telephone signaled the significant foreign relations sway exercised by Türkiye in the region as well as its influence with the White House. Trump’s lifting of sanctions will undoubtedly prove one of his key foreign policy achievements with a potential to help transform Syria. However, it is Erdoğan and Türkiye who deserve the credit for their skillful campaign that rapidly changed the Trump Administration’s outlook on Syria and produced yesterday’s results.
Türkiye has been a key player in Syria and has encouraged and helped guide the al-Sharaa interim government since it took power. In mid-April, al-Sharaa made one of his brief journeys outside of Syria to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, meeting with key Türkish government leaders including Erdoğan. During one such meeting Erdoğan promised al-Sharaa that Türkiye would continue to lobby the international community to lift sanctions. Trump’s removal of Syrian sanctions was in a large part the fruit of Erdoğan’s efforts and Türkiye’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – Nuh Yılmaz who has worked in concert with Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan to stabilise Syria and support the al-Sharaa interim Government.
The next critical issue for Syria concerns neighbouring Israel. Israel continues to violate Syria’s sovereignty by invading its airspace to strike not only within Syria but to carry-out military operations and strikes in Lebanon and Gaza. Israel’s violation of international law are diminishing the Syrian public’s sense of security and confidence in the al-Sharaa government.
