U.S. Treasury and State Department officials held talks on Thursday in Washington with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, the Treasury Department announced.
The visit, the first by a Syrian foreign minister to the United States in more than 25 years, comes as Damascus seeks the permanent lifting of remaining U.S. sanctions.
“Treasury is working with Syria to responsibly and safely reconnect its economy to the global financial system while combating the financing of terrorism,” the department said in a post on X, the U.S. social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Those present included U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, senior Treasury officials, and members of Shaibani’s delegation, including Qutaiba Idlbi, director of American affairs at the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
According to Axios, Shaibani is scheduled to meet U.S. senators to discuss the permanent removal of sanctions imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which targeted the Assad government for war crimes during the civil war.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on 30 June to terminate the U.S. sanctions programme on Syria, though measures linked to human rights abuses, chemical weapons activity and drug trafficking remain in place.
The visit follows Trump’s announcement in May 2025 at a Saudi investment forum that he intended to lift the “brutal and crippling” Syria sanctions. A day later, Trump met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, marking the first meeting between U.S. and Syrian leaders in 25 years.
Georgia and Armenia have resumed talks on their 225-kilometre border after years of limited progress, with disputes over historical boundaries, far...
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in pl...
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security...
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in place, as Beijing and Washington seek to maintain their fragile trade truce.
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security guarantees and territorial disputes expected to shape the negotiations.
The bodies of 13 migrants have been recovered from a boat off the Greek island of Crete, the Greek coast guard said on Monday. A further 18 people were rescued, with four taken to hospital.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, with trying to form a government after an inconclusive election. The decision, announced on Saturday, follows a vote that left neither candidate with a clear path to power.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday as efforts to end the conflict with Iran stall, with Washington and Tehran still far apart on the terms of a possible agreement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment