By Faith Barbara N Ruhinda Updated at 1127 EAT on Wednesday 14 May 2025

Following the private meeting between the leaders of Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Donald Trump is now at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit currently under way in Riyadh

After this, the US president will be heading to Qatar for the second leg of his four-day tour of the Middle East.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the meeting between Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Ahmed al-Sharaa via an online video link, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.

Trump’s meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa presents a key opportunity to strengthen Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision for the future of the Middle East.

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria marked a significant defeat for the Islamic Republic of Iran – and a major opportunity for Saudi Arabia to curb Iranian influence in the Arab world.

However, simply removing Assad is not enough to cement Saudi – and Turkish – footholds in Syria.

What both countries need is a stable government under al-Sharaa’s leadership, one capable of restoring security, facilitating economic recovery and leading the reconstruction of a country devastated by war.

The lifting of fifty-year-old US sanctions against Syria, reportedly at the request of Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, paves the way for substantial Saudi and Turkish investment in Syria.

American companies, particularly in the energy sector, are also expected to benefit from the opening.

Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa will go a long way in granting international legitimacy to a man once vilified under his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, due to his past links to al-Qaeda.

US President Donald Trump has met Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, according to reports from the capital Riyadh.

It’s the first time leaders of the two countries have met since 2000, but yesterday Trump’s office said it would just be to “say hello”.

Syria’s new president has gone from being a jihadist, with the US offering a $10m reward for his arrest, to shaking hands with President Trump.

The bounty was lifted shortly after al-Sharaa’s group, then called HTS, forced Assad out of Syria, amid promises that he would fight so-called Islamic State and form an inclusive government.

Since then, al-Sharaa is seen as having scored big successes on regional and international levels – especially after his visit to France to meet President Emmanuel Macron.

Now, the US announcement on lifting sanctions has saved Syria from further deterioration, with its wrecked economy in need of a fresh start.

Many are counting on al-Sharaa’s motivations and regional support, hoping the money will flow into the country to rebuild it, and allow millions of refugees and internally displaced people to rebuild their homes destroyed by Assad’s bombardment.

But some are worried that al-Sharaa’s government will now be relaxed about ruling the country under its own terms, and will not commit to promises on inclusivity and protecting social freedoms.

Some hardliners among government forces are threatening social freedoms, and are imposing random restrictions on ordinary people’s lives.

Mouaz Moustafa heads the US-based Syria Emergency Task Force  an organisation that advocated on behalf of the opposition to ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

We’re seeing reports that Donald Trump will speak to Ahmed al-Sharaa shortly, before of the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh this morning.

After a busy morning in Saudi Arabia, Trump will then set course for Qatar  where he will be welcomed with more pomp and pageantry at the royal court in Doha.

On this second leg of his whirlwind tour of the Gulf, the US president will be welcomed with a state visit by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and other officials.

But we’ll also be watching out for whether the Qatari royal family follow through with the offer to gift Trump a much newer and more luxurious plane to use for official travel.

It is a present which has provoked huge controversy back in America among people who wonder what the Qatar wants in return.

The US government has imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Syria for decades, affecting things from aid to finances.

There were spontaneous and joyous public celebrations in the streets of the capital Damascus yesterday, after Donald Trump said they will be lifted.

Many Syrians have expressed hope that their country will now have the chance to prosper. The feeling is indescribable, Tarik Naamo tells the AFP news agency.

Huda Qusar says it’ll be great for our country, adding that construction will return, the refugees will return, everyone will return, the prices will drop. They just need patience, she says.

Thank God the sanctions have been lifted so we can finally live the way we used to or even better than before, Ahmad Asma says. And finally we can start enjoying ourselves.

After Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, 90% of Syria’s population were left under the poverty line – and some violence continued with clashes between Islamist armed factions, security forces and fighters from the Druze religious minority.

There was also mass killings of hundreds of civilians from minority Alawite community in the western coastal region in March, during clashes between the new security forces and Assad loyalists.

The US move to lift sanctions yesterday has been met with positivity in Syria – and the meeting between al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump will be the first time US and Syrian leaders have met since 2000.

It may represent a further thawing in relations between the two countries after the US scrapped a $10m (£7.9m) reward for the arrest of al-Sharaa in December, following diplomatic meetings.

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