Al-Julani Thanks U.S. for Lifting Sanctions on Damascus

The interim President of Syria, expressing gratitude for Washington’s decision to lift sanctions against Damascus, also acknowledged the role of the U.S. President and a number of regional and international leaders from Arab, Islamic, and European countries in supporting the Syrian people.

According to Rokna, Ahmad al-Sharaa, known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, who calls himself the interim President of Syria, specifically thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, stating that Washington has taken steps toward lifting sanctions by positively responding to the Syrian people’s demands.

The report by Al-Watan newspaper noted that he also thanked members of the U.S. Congress for recognizing the sacrifices of the Syrian people and for supporting their request to lift the sanctions.

Al-Sharaa further expressed his appreciation to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey; Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia; and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, for their support of the Syrian nation.

He also extended his gratitude to all Arab, Islamic, and European countries that supported the Syrian people during the war and continued to assist last year in the process of lifting sanctions.

These remarks came after the U.S. Senate voted to lift the extensive “Caesar Act” sanctions against Syria.

The mandatory defense bill, known as the “National Defense Authorization Act,” which was approved by the Senate on Wednesday with a vote of 77 to 20, includes the complete lifting of the Caesar Act against Syria.

The Caesar Act is a U.S. law that sanctions the former Syrian government, including its President Bashar al-Assad, over alleged “war crimes against the Syrian people.” The law was signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2019 and came into effect on June 17, 2020.