First statements from Damascus after Trump removes Syria from list of terror-supporting countries

Syria is moving away from decades of isolation following the U.S. decision to remove it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. This move, announced Monday, terminates a classification that has been in place for 47 years and imposed significant economic restrictions on the country.

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Syria is tearing down a page of its painful past with its own hands; it is moving towards a period of development, recovery, and reconstruction.

Syrian officials welcomed the development, with Foreign Minister Esad Hasan Şeybani calling it "historic." He stated that the decision reflects a transformation within Syria and demonstrates the new Syrian state's commitment to international security and peace. Şeybani also criticized the policies of previous administrations, deeming them unworthy of Syria's history and people, and pledged that Syria would continue to work transparently to overcome the effects of past international isolation.

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This is a historic development.

Tom Barrack, the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, described the decision as a "critical step in Syria's transition from isolation to partnership," signaling a new era in Washington-Damascus relations. The U.S. State Department also removed the al-Qaeda-linked group Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of global terrorist organizations.

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This step is a result of the transformation carried out by the Syrians and a demonstration of the new Syrian state's commitment to international security and peace.

Syria was initially placed on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1979. This designation had long been a major obstacle to foreign investment and imposed substantial economic and financial sanctions on the country. The removal marks a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Syria.

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These policies were never the choice of the Syrian people, and these practices were not worthy of Syria and the country's history.