• Sanctions dating back to 2004 and expanded during years of conflict will no longer apply, officially allowing American companies to conduct business with Damascus

Arab News

DAMASCUS: Syria on Monday welcomed the US Treasury Department’s decision to remove it from the sanctions list under the Code of Federal Regulations, describing it as a “positive development” that could ease humanitarian and economic hardships.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that the Syrian Sanctions Regulations will be lifted as of Tuesday following President Donald Trump’s June order to terminate the national emergency underpinning the restrictions. 

Sanctions dating back to 2004 and expanded during years of conflict will no longer apply, officially allowing American companies to conduct business with Damascus.

In a statement, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the move will “directly reflect on the humanitarian and economic conditions of the Syrian people” by facilitating trade, financial transactions and US exports, while opening “new horizons for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.”

The ministry noted the timing of the decision coincided with the visit of a second official US congressional delegation to Damascus, led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Joe Wilson, accompanied by Ambassador Tom Barrack, the US president’s special envoy for Syria.

President Ahmad al-Sharaa received the delegation in the presence of senior Syrian ministers, with talks focusing on strengthening bilateral ties and exploring areas of cooperation. 

The ministry said the meetings signaled growing support within Congress for the full lifting of sanctions, including efforts to repeal the 2019 Caesar Act before the end of this year.

“For his part, President al-Sharaa expressed appreciation for the efforts made in Congress, stressing that these simultaneous developments, the lifting of restrictions and the resumption of official visits, constitute a continuation of a practical and realistic path that serves the interests of the Syrian people and enhances stability in the region,” the statement said.

US officials have said that while sanctions are being removed, Congress must still act to formally repeal the Caesar Act. 

The Syrian government affirmed its readiness to continue dialogue with international partners on the basis of sovereignty and mutual respect, with the aim of ensuring stability and prosperity for the Syrian people and the wider region.