Trump Announces End Of U.S. Sanctions On Syria During Speech In Saudi Arabia

In remarks to the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, President Trump announced he would end sanctions on Syria.

Transcript

00:00Likewise in Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government

00:07that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.

00:14That's what we want to see in Syria.

00:16They've had their share of travesty war, killing many years.

00:22That's why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations

00:29between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.

00:39And I'm very pleased to announce that Secretary Marco Rubio will be meeting with the new Syrian

00:45foreign minister in Turkey later this week, and very importantly, after discussing the

00:50situation in Syria with the crown prince, your crown prince.

01:01And also with President Erdogan of Turkey, who called me the other day and asked for a very similar thing,

01:09among others and friends of mine, people that I have a lot of respect for in the Middle East.

01:14I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.

01:32I will be ordering the new Syrian foreign minister to the United States.

02:00Oh, what I do for the crown prince.

02:05The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important, really an important function,

02:11nevertheless, at the time.

02:13But now it's their time to shine.

02:15It's their time to shine.

02:16We're taking them all off.

02:17And they're going to have, I think they're going to have based on the people and the spirit and

02:23everything else that I'm hearing about.

02:25So I say, good luck, Syria.

02:26Show us something very special like they've done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia.

02:31Okay?

02:32They're going to show us something special.

02:33Very good people.

02:35Everywhere we can, my administration is pursuing peaceful engagement,

02:40offering a strong and steady hand of friendship to all that will.

02:44Take it in good faith.