US Treasury and State Department officials held talks in Washington with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al Shaibani, the Treasury Department announced.
“Treasury is working with Syria to responsibly and safely reconnect its economy to the global financial system whilst combating the financing of terrorism,” it said in a post on X on Thursday.
Those present at the meeting included the US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack; senior Treasury officials; Qutaiba Idlbi, director of American affairs at the Syrian Foreign Ministry; and other members of Shaibani’s delegation.
The visit marks the first by a Syrian foreign minister to the US in more than 25 years.
Talks on sanctions
The Syrian minister also held talks with US senators to discuss permanently lifting the Caesar sanctions on Syria.
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said she led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a meeting with Shaibani and Barrack. Participants included Senators Roger Wicker, Chris Coons, Joni Ernst, Jacky Rosen, Markwayne Mullin, Richard Blumenthal and Andy Kim.
Shaheen said the group affirmed a “common interest between the United States and Syria in a stable, economically prosperous Syria and the importance of Syria’s future for regional stability.”
Debate over the Caesar Act
Participants noted that sanctions are prohibiting urgently needed investment in Syria’s economy, according to a statement.
“Syria’s economy is in crisis, and its authorities need financial resources to maintain basic functions of governance,” Shaheen said.
“If we are too slow to act, we risk plunging Syrians back into conflict, which is in no one’s interest except for Russia and Iran. Now is the time for the Senate to act by repealing the Caesar Act sanctions.”
Many of the sanctions stem from the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which sanctioned the Assad government for war crimes during the civil war.
Parallel developments at the UN
Türkiye's UN envoy Ahmet Yildiz expressed similar concerns at the UN Security Council during a session on Syria, warning that “the new period in Syria requires sustained efforts to ensure peace and stability on the basis of its territorial integrity and unity,” while praising the country’s recent progress.
"The Syrian government has made remarkable progress since last December, despite the scale of challenges. Rehabilitation projects in infrastructure are already underway, and access to electricity in the country has improved," Yildiz said.
Yildiz also added that Damascus’s re-engagement with the international community was advancing “on a steady and constructive path” and reiterated Türkiye's continued support for the lifting of all sanctions for Syria's reconstruction efforts.
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