President Ahmed al-Sharaa received a letter from US President Donald Trump, in which he confirmed that he had informed Congress of his decision to begin procedures to revoke Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The state-run SANA news agency published a copy of Trump's letter, in which he said that "according to the law, Congress will conduct a review for 45 days to complete the decision and make it final," considering that this step comes within the framework of "removing obstacles to the reconstruction of Syria."

Trump stressed the presence of American companies ready to invest in Syria and contribute to making it more prosperous than ever, expressing his aspiration for the positive effects of the decision on the Syrian people and the deepening of the partnership between the two countries.

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Presidents Al-Sharaa and Trump met at the NATO summit in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where they discussed Syrian-American relations and ways to strengthen them, in addition to discussing regional situations.

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Rubio: A stable Syria is in the interest of the entire world

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Trump had formally informed Congress of his administration's intention to revoke Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

"President Trump (Wednesday, July 8) informed Congress of his administration's intention to revoke Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, following the expiration of Congress's 45-day advance notice period," Rubio said in a statement.

"This is another historic step that President Trump is taking to give the Syrian people a chance to achieve a better future," he added.

Rubio said the lifting of the designation "would open the door to international trade and investment" and give Syria "an opportunity for reconstruction."

"A stable and united Syria, which enjoys peace internally and with its neighbours, is not only in the interest of the region, but also in the interest of the entire world," he said.

Syria welcomes US decision

Syria on Wednesday welcomed the announcement by the United States of America to begin legal proceedings to revoke its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates explained in a statement that Syria welcomes the announcement by the United States to start procedures to repeal the law on the classification of a state sponsor of terrorism, which was included in 1979, following the talks held today between Presidents Ahmed al-Sharaa and Donald Trump, and the US President informed Congress of his intention to take this step, which represents an important development in the path of Syrian-American relations based on dialogue, mutual respect and common interests.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the lifting of this designation, in addition to the end of sanctions, would contribute to enhancing economic recovery opportunities, creating the necessary environment for reconstruction, and encouraging trade and investment, in order to serve the interests of the Syrian people and support security and stability in the region.

Syria expressed its aspiration to continue constructive work with the United States of America, in order to strengthen bilateral relations and achieve peace, development and prosperity.

Syria on the list of "sponsors of terrorism" since 1979

Syria was added to the list of "state sponsors of terrorism" on December 29, 1979, becoming one of the first countries to be included in this designation since its establishment under US President Jimmy Carter.

Since then, Damascus has had extensive economic and financial consequences, with the designation imposing severe restrictions on exports and technology of American origin, isolating the Syrian banking system from direct financial transactions with U.S. banks, and freezing government assets within the United States.

The effects included the suspension of development aid and the prohibition of international financial institutions from providing any loans or facilities to Damascus, as well as secondary sanctions targeting foreign companies dealing with Syria's vital sectors, leading to a long-term economic blockade that affected trade, investment, and reconstruction.

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The U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism currently includes only three countries besides Syria, which is being delisted: Iran, Cuba, and North Korea, all of which are subject to similar economic and financial restrictions imposed by Washington decades ago. If the legislative and executive procedures to remove Syria are completed, the list will be limited to these three countries alone, an indication that the scope of the designation has shrunk compared to years ago.

Over the past decades, the list has seen a number of countries delisted after major political changes or broad diplomatic settlements, including Sudan, which was removed in 2020 following the fall of the former regime and paid huge compensation to victims of previous attacks.

Washington also removed Cuba from the list in 2015 before later reinstating it, North Korea, which was removed from the list in 2008 and returned in 2017, Libya, which was removed after abandoning its weapons of mass destruction programs, Iraq, which was permanently removed after the regime change in 2003, and South Yemen, which was automatically removed after Yemen's unification in 1990.