U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting with Ahmed al-Sharar, President of Syria’s Interim Government, on Wednesday morning (14 May) in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, during his ongoing Middle East tour. The meeting was reported by BBC.
Prior to the meeting, the United States had lifted sanctions on Syria. President Trump stated that the move was made from a place of goodwill, aimed at giving Syria a chance for reconciliation. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also present during the talks.
According to Turkish news agency Anadolu, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined the meeting via video link, which included Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharar.
Following the meeting in Riyadh, Trump is scheduled to travel to Qatar and then to the United Arab Emirates. This marks Trump’s first foreign tour since beginning his second term as President of the United States. He is expected to remain in the Gulf region for four days to discuss various bilateral issues.
A key focus of the visit is securing significant new investments in the U.S. economy, particularly from the sovereign wealth funds of Gulf nations. Trump believes this will support his “America First” policy.
Reports suggest that one of the major outcomes of Trump’s current visit to Saudi Arabia is a $100 billion arms deal. Under this agreement, Saudi Arabia will purchase weapons and military equipment from the U.S., including radar systems and transport aircraft.
The United States has long been a major arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, although relations between the two countries were strained during Joe Biden’s presidency. Citing Saudi Arabia’s role in the Yemen conflict, the Biden administration had halted arms sales to the kingdom.
Previously, the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi also affected bilateral relations. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the assassination—an accusation that Saudi Arabia has consistently denied.