The United States has announced it will lift Syria's designation as a 'state sponsor of terrorism', a decades-old label that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

'This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. The move will be effective in 45 days unless lawmakers take the unlikely step of blocking it.

The step came as President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkiye with al-Sharaa, a former rebel who has sought to recast himself as a unifying figure after the 2024 toppling of the al-Assad family.

'Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild,' Rubio said. 'A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world.'

Trump's embrace of al-Sharaa comes despite misgivings from Israel, which has repeatedly launched air strikes in Syria. The US president had earlier pressed for Syria to make peace with Israel, but went ahead with the delisting decision despite a lack of tangible progress.

Syria is seeking economic support to rebuild after years of brutal war that helped give rise to the ISIL armed group and generated a major refugee crisis.

Rubio said that the delisting decision came after 'formal assurances' from al-Sharaa that 'Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.' When Syria is removed, only three countries will remain on the blacklist – Iran, North Korea and Cuba.

Source: www.aljazeera.com