President al-Sharaa discuss economic cooperation with US business leaders in Washington

President Ahmad al-Sharaa attended a dinner with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Washington on Tuesday, with the participation of Foreign Minister and Minister of Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, where discussions focused on ways to enhance economic and investment cooperation between Syria and the United States.

During the meeting, President al-Sharaa underlined the importance of direct communication with the American business community to build strong and sustainable partnerships and to benefit from the broad economic opportunities available in Syria for both domestic and international investors.

He noted that the coming stage offers a more open economic environment as a result of the recent international measures that eased restrictions on transactions with Syria.

The meeting came amid a series of steps taken by the United States and the European Union in 2025 to ease economic sanctions on Syria, opening wider space for commercial and investment activity.

On May 23, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury – Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 25, allowing certain economic transactions with Syria for the first time in more than a decade.

On May 28, the Council of the European Union adopted legal acts lifting economic sanctions imposed on Syria and unfreezing the assets of 24 Syrian entities, covering the energy, banking, and transport sectors.

The United Kingdom also took similar measures, easing restrictions that had previously limited the ability of foreign companies to invest in reconstruction and development projects inside Syria.

The meeting in Washington marks Syria’s effort to rebuild its international economic relations and take advantage of recent legal changes that enable broader trade and investment partnerships with willing counterparts.

Credit: SANA - Syrian Arab News Agency