RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Trump urged Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to sign the Abraham Accords in a previously unplanned meeting on Wednesday— one day after lifting all sanctions on the Middle Eastern country.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan phoning into the conversation.
Syria currently doesn’t recognize Israel’s statehood, and the Abraham Accords were just one of Trump’s asks to Syria in an effort to normalize relations.
Trump also told the Syrian leader to make all foreign terrorists leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, help the US prevent the rise of ISIS and take responsibility for the ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria, per the White House.
Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria led to a standing ovation from Saudi business leaders at the investment forum on Tuesday.
“I felt very strongly that this would give them a chance,” Trump said at the GCC of his decision on Wednesday. “Gives them a good, strong chance…it was my honor to do so.
“We are currently exploring normalizing with Syria’s new government,” he said.
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