Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on November 10, marking the first visit by a Syrian head of state to Washington since Syria’s independence in 1946. The meeting, confirmed by both the White House and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, demonstrates continued development of diplomatic relations between Damascus and Washington since Assad’s ouster.
The visit comes amid renewed American efforts to stabilize the Middle East. According to US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, Sharaa is expected to sign an agreement for Syria to join the US-led coalition against ISIS, comprising over 80 nations. “It’s a big step,” Barrack said during remarks at the Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain, calling the move “remarkable.”
Sanctions, Reconstruction, and Counterterrorism
Syrian Foreign Minister Shaibani told Arabi21 discussions will center on lifting US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act and securing American support for Syria’s reconstruction. “There is no longer any justification for the continuation of sanctions,” he said, adding that Syria seeks “balanced relations with all countries.”
The Caesar Act, passed by Congress in 2019, targeted figures in Assad’s regime for war crimes but continues to affect the broader Syrian economy by penalizing foreign investment in key sectors such as energy and banking. Trump hinted at his willingness to ease sanctions, telling reporters in May that “it’s time to give Syria a chance to rebuild.”
A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, said the White House views Sharaa’s visit as “a step toward reintegrating Syria into the international community” after decades of isolation.
Regional Realignment and New Diplomacy
Barrack noted that the US is also facilitating indirect talks between Syria and Israel to restore the 1974 disengagement agreement that created a UN-patrolled buffer zone between their forces. “The path is very clear,it needs to be to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv for a conversation along with Syria,” he said, suggesting that Syria could help stabilize the broader Levant.
For Sharaa, once imprisoned by US forces in Iraq, the visit marks a striking transformation,from militant commander to recognized head of state. His May meeting with Trump in Riyadh ended a 25-year diplomatic freeze and laid the groundwork for this visit, which observers see as the symbolic end of Syria’s long isolation. If successful, the Washington talks could mark the beginning of Syria’s reintegration into Western diplomacy and a turning point in US strategy toward a post-Assad Middle East.
