Syrians Welcome Hopeful Future as U.S. Signals End to Sanctions

Increased wages, lower costs for essential goods like bread and fuel, more consistent electricity, and the start of rebuilding destroyed communities are among the hopeful changes Syrians anticipate.

An announcement made in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday by the U.S. President declaring the removal of sanctions on Syria has sparked widespread optimism across the country after years of conflict and hardship.

Sami al-Hajj, a local pharmacist, expressed relief, saying, “This decision will ease our worries. Previously, we feared for the future of ourselves and our children, but now new opportunities are opening up.”

Experts and many Syrians view the lifting of U.S. sanctions as a vital step toward allowing the new government to reconstruct an economy devastated by prolonged warfare. These sanctions have largely excluded Syria from the global financial system, hindering money transfers, limiting imports, and restricting involvement by most international corporations.

On the following day, the U.S. President held a meeting with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Shara, a former rebel leader who led the movement that ousted Bashar al-Assad in December. This encounter marked the first meeting between leaders of the two nations in 25 years. The roughly 30-minute discussion also conferred additional legitimacy on al-Shara, who remains designated as a terrorist by the U.S. government due to past links with extremist groups.

Following the meeting, the White House press secretary stated that the U.S. President encouraged al-Shara to negotiate a peace agreement with Israel, remove foreign militants, assist American efforts against the Islamic State, and assume control over detention facilities housing Islamic State fighters in northeastern Syria. The U.S. Secretary of State was scheduled to meet with Syria’s foreign minister to further discuss these matters.