Trump meets Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh

Riyadh: US President Donald Trump met Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in the presence of Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh on Wednesday.

“HRH the Crown Prince holds a meeting with the US President and the Syrian President,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia posted on X along with photographs of the meeting between the three leaders.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials were also present during the meeting.

“A meeting brings together HRH the Crown Prince, the US President, and the Syrian President in Riyadh, with the Turkish President participating via phone,” it said in another post.

The meeting came after Trump on Tuesday evening announced that the United States was lifting sanctions on Syria.

“After discussing the situation in Syria with the Crown Prince and also with President Erdogan of Turkey… among others in the Middle East, I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria, in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said during his address in Riyadh where he outlined his vision for the future of the Middle East.

Earlier this month, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda Commander, had called on French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, as he continued Damascus’ diplomatic outreach under his leadership.

Sharaa headed the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which spearheaded the toppling of the government headed by former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as he began a four-day visit to the Middle East which would also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As he reached Riyadh, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, welcomed Trump at the King Khalid International Airport. Trump was greeted with a 21-gun salute and trumpet fanfare upon his arrival. The Crown Prince and US President then engaged in cordial talks over Saudi coffee at the airport’s VIP lounge.

Later, the Crown Prince received President Trump at the Royal Court in Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.

“Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together — not bombing each other out of existence,” the US President said in his address in Riyadh on Tuesday evening.

–IANS