President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will ease sanctions on Syria could eventually facilitate the country’s recovery from years of civil war and transform the lives of everyday Syrians.

President Trump, speaking in Saudi Arabia, said he will order the end of sanctions against Syria to normalize relations with its new government.

There is a new government that, hopefully, will succeed,' stated the US president, who met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist who had fought Americans in Iraq, on Wednesday morning in Riyadh.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years and one that could mark a turning point for Syria as it struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation.

President Trump on Wednesday met with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his swing through Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a signal of thawing relations between the two countries following the fall

DAMASCUS/LONDON (Reuters) - An end to U.S. sanctions on Syria is expected to mark a new era for an economy devastated by 13 years of war, opening the way for investment flows from the Syrian diaspora, Turkey, and Gulf states that back the new government.

When the leader of Syria shook hands with U.S. President Donald Trump, it was a striking moment for a man who was an al-Qaida fighter in Iraq and was detained by the American military.