President Donald Trump said he did not consult ally Israel about the US decision to recognise Syria's new government, despite deep Israeli suspicion of President Ahmed Alsharaa's administration.
"I didn't ask them about that. I thought it was the right thing to do. I've been given a lot of credit for doing it. Look, we want Syria to succeed," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, shortly after departing Abu Dhabi at the close of a four-day Middle East trip.
President Donald Trump said the US lifted sanctions on Syria to promote a "fresh start" for the country.
‘Crippling sanctions’
Trump announced on May 13 the end to the “brutal and crippling” sanctions on Syria in response to demands from Alsharaa's allies in Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
Syria first came under a broad range of US sanctions at the end of the 1970s as dictator Hafez al Assad took power through an internal party coup and seized the presidency in 1970.
The intensity of US sanctions increased in 2011 as human rights abuses by the brutal Bashar al Assad regime made global headlines in the wake of civil war.
Speaking at a Gulf-US summit in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Trump said the decision came after talking with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“After discussing the situation with Crown Prince Mohammed and President Erdogan of Türkiye, I'm also ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria to give them a fresh start. It gives (Syria) a chance for greatness," he said.
Erdogan said the US president's decision to lift sanctions on Syria carries historic importance.
During the meeting, Erdogan expressed Ankara’s desire for Syria to be a stable, prosperous nation that collaborates with its regional neighbours and poses no threat to them, citing Türkiye's ongoing efforts to achieve this goal.
Trump’s reliance on regional heavyweights like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a calculated move.
