Trump Speaks to Presidents of Syria and Turkey, Plots a Path Forward

On Wednesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to her official X account to describe a meeting President Trump had with the new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and (by phone) Turkish President Erdogan. President Trump, in that meeting, laid out some, shall we say, expectations the United States has for the new Syrian government.

Today, President Trump, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. President Erdogan of Turkey joined by phone. President Erdogan praised President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside Saudi… pic.twitter.com/0yhyZbQ1o0
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) May 14, 2025

The post continues:

...and committed to working alongside Saudi Arabia to encourage peace and prosperity in Syria. The Crown Prince also commended President Trump for his decision to lift the sanctions, calling it courageous. President Trump thanked President Erdogan and the Crown Prince for their friendship, and told President Al-Sharaa that he has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country. President Trump encouraged President Al-Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people, and urged him to:

1. Sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel
2. Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria
3. Deport Palestinian terrorists
4. Help the United States to prevent the resurgence of ISIS
5. Assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria

Those are some big asks for a new government in this part of the world. It's not at all clear if the Syrian president will be easily persuaded, for example, to sign on to the Abraham Accords; while it would be a positive move in the eyes of the rest of the world (American Democrats possibly excepted) there are plenty of people in Syria, doubtlessly some in the new government, who will object. And "tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria" is no doubt aimed at Iran, which supports Islamic terrorists throughout the region.

The meeting ended, it seems, with a hopeful tone.

President Al-Sharaa thanked President Trump, the Crown Prince, and President Erdogan for their efforts to put together the meeting, and recognized the significant opportunity presented by the Iranians leaving Syria, as well as shared U.S.-Syrian interests in countering terrorism and eliminating chemical weapons. President Al-Sharaa affirmed his commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel. President Al-Sharaa concluded with his hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between east and west, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas.
The Russia-Ukraine war and the war in Gaza was also discussed.

The raising of sanctions has presented Syria with a great opportunity.

See Also: Shocker: Trump Lifting Sanctions on Syria

An even greater opportunity may come from American investment in Syrian gas and oil. Prosperous countries are less likely to be troublesome countries; people who are making money are less likely to want that flow of money to cease. And a friendly (or at least less hostile) Syria would have a nearby market in energy-hungry Europe, which now is getting much of its natural gas from Russia.

And that's another interesting note. Syria, under the Assad regime, was allied to Russia, from whence most of its military hardware came. Russia still maintains military bases in Syria. When deposed, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, where he remains. So far, Russia has not weighed in on these latest developments in Syria, although there are reports that the new Syrian leadership is engaged in talks with Moscow.

Syria stands at a crossroads. Sanctions from the Western world are falling away. American energy companies are no doubt looking at Syria's resources with interest. But the new government has to chart a course very different from that of previous governments, and they will have to drive any Iranian proxies and other terror operators out of their country if they are to succeed. Everything depends on that.

President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" and brokering peace deals around the world, as Democrats try desperately to stop him.

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