U.S. President Donald Trump met on Monday evening at the White House in Washington with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
According to a statement from the Syrian Presidency, the meeting - which was also attended by Syrian Foreign Minister As’ad al-Shaibani and his American counterpart Marco Rubio - focused on relations between the United States and Syria, ways to develop them, and regional and international issues involving mutual interests.
The encounter marks a historic and unprecedented event: the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House.
Moreover, al-Shar’a was, until the fall of the Assad regime, identified as a jihadist and a member of a terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. Until just a few days ago, his name still appeared on the U.S. terrorist watchlist.