Damascus [Syria], May 16: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the details of the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, improving bilateral relations and ways to build a strategic relationship, Syrian state media reported.
The meeting was held in the Turkish city of Antalya on Thursday - where NATO foreign ministers were meeting - in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Al-Shaibani hailed the meeting and described it as "fruitful and constructive." The gathering marks a rare moment of direct engagement between Syria and the United States after over a decade of strained relations stemming from the Syrian civil war, widespread human rights concerns and a series of economic sanctions imposed by Washington under the Caesar Act and related legislation.
Earlier in the week during a visit to Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh the day after Trump said he would be lifting the sanctions imposed on Damascus. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
