特朗普称将首次把叙利亚从支持恐怖主义国家名单中移除，该名单自1979年起就将叙利亚列入其中。
周三，在土耳其举行的北约峰会上，唐纳德·特朗普总统坐在叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·沙拉阿身旁，宣布将把叙利亚从国务院的“支持恐怖主义国家”名单中剔除。
当被问及是否要移除叙利亚的相关认定时，特朗普谈及沙拉阿时表示：“他做得非常出色，或许他本就会提出这件事。这个问题提得很好，没错，这么做有什么问题吗?我认为我们应该这么做，我会推进这件事。”
在北约峰会间隙的会面中，特朗普对沙拉阿大加赞赏，这与后者曾领导叙利亚境内一个基地组织分支的过往形成了极具反差的转变。
沙拉阿曾被悬赏1000万美元通缉，还曾被关押在伊拉克臭名昭著的阿布格莱布监狱。
2024年末，他领导伊斯兰反叛派别联盟推翻了前叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德的统治。
特朗普周三表示：“他作为总统做得极其出色，在极短时间内就实现了国家统一”，还形容这位叙利亚领导人是“强者”，“受到所有人的尊重”。
“我们为他所取得的工作成果感到骄傲。”特朗普说道。
美国国务卿马可·鲁比奥表示，特朗普已于周三通知国会，政府计划在为期45天的国会审查期结束后，撤销对叙利亚的相关认定。
鲁比奥在声明中提及，总统去年曾发布行政命令，要求重新评估对叙利亚的相关认定，同时指出沙拉阿领导的叙利亚政府已采取积极变革与反恐行动，且沙拉阿正式作出承诺，保证叙利亚未来不会支持任何国际恐怖主义行为——这两点正是将叙利亚从名单中移除的两项核心要求。
国会方面虽可尝试阻止此次除名，但预计该举措不会遭遇明显的反对阻力。
此举对叙利亚的意义
特朗普承诺推动将叙利亚从“支持恐怖主义国家”名单中移除，意味着叙利亚重新全面融入国际金融体系的最后一道主要障碍即将被扫清。
美国于1979年将叙利亚列为支持恐怖主义国家，叙利亚也是该名单上被认定时间最长的国家，目前名单上的其余国家为古巴、伊朗和朝鲜。当年美国作出这一认定，是因为前阿萨德政权长期支持被列为恐怖组织的相关势力。
不过美国官员也表示，在正式解除该认定前，仍需完成一系列配套流程。
美国国会议员对此持谨慎乐观的态度。
本月早些时候，三名跨党派议员联名致信特朗普，呼吁将叙利亚从该名单中移除，但他们也提出，沙拉阿政府仍需继续推进相关工作，保障叙利亚国内女性和少数族裔群体获得平等代表权，同时维护地区安全稳定。
全新的美叙关系
2025年5月，特朗普就曾宣布将解除对叙利亚的制裁，以此推动两国建立全新的双边关系。
去年11月，联合国安理会正式通过由美国主导的决议，解除针对沙拉阿的相关制裁，使其得以前往美国，在白宫与特朗普会面，这也是叙利亚总统首次对美国进行正式访问。
国会随后还批准废除《凯撒叙利亚平民保护法案》中的全面制裁条款，特朗普于去年12月签署法案使其正式生效。
该法案的废除为叙利亚与区域内及美国企业开展交易往来扫清了部分障碍，但“支持恐怖主义国家”的认定仍让叙利亚无法获得美国的大规模对外援助。
解除这一针对叙利亚的认定，将为该国在石油、银行、科技、房地产等多个领域吸引大量投资提供便利，有望推动叙利亚经济实现彻底转型，进一步提升整体局势的稳定性。
Trump says he'll remove Syria as state sponsor of terrorism for the first time since 1979
President Donald Trump, sitting next to Syrian PresidentAhmed al-Sharaaat the NATO summit in Turkey, said Wednesday that he will remove Syria from the State Department's State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
"He's done a great job. Maybe he would have brought that up. That's a good question. Yeah, any problems with that? I think we should. Yeah, I will,"Trump said of al-Sharaa when asked about removing Syria from the list.
Trump offered high praise for al-Sharaa during their meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit, a remarkable turnaround for the man who once led an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria.
Al-Sharaa at one point had a $10 million bounty on his head and served time in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
He then then led a coalition of Islamist rebel factions in late 2024 totopple former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"He's done a really fantastic job as president. He's unified the country in a very short period of time," Trump said Wednesday, describing the Syrian leader as a "strong person" who is "respected by everybody."
"We're proud of the job he's doing," Trump said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had alerted Congress Wednesday of the administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation following a 45-day period -- the amount of time required for congressional review.
In his statement, Rubio referenced an executive order issued by the president last year ordering a review of Syria’s designation and remarks on the "positive changes and counterterrorism actions taken by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and formal assurances provided by President al-Sharaa that Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future,” two requirements for delisting.
Congress could attempt to block the delisting but the move is not expected to face significant opposition.
What it means for Syria
Trump's commitment to potentially remove Syria from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list would mark one of the final obstacles blocking the country fromfullyrejoining the internationalfinancial system.
The U.S. designatedSyria a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979 -- the longest such designation for any country on the list. The other countries on the list are Cuba, Iran and North Korea. Syria was designated as such because of the former al-Assad regime's historical support for designated terrorist groups.
But U.S. officialshave said there are a number of steps needed ahead before the designation can be removed.
U.S. lawmakers are cautiously optimistic.
A bipartisan trio of lawmakers wrote to Trump earlier this month lobbying for Syria's removal from the list. But they argued al-Sharaa's government has more work to do to follow through on equal representation for women and minority constituents in Syria and ensuring security in the region.
The new US-Syria relationship
In May 2025, Trump announced he wouldlift sanctions on Syriato create a new relationship between the two countries.
Last November, the United Nations SecurityCouncil formally adopted a U.S.-led resolution that lifted sanctions on al-Sharaa so he could travel to the U.S. to meet with Trump in the Oval office, the first offical visit by a Syrian president.
Congress also approved repealingcomprehensive sanctions under the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act. Trump signed it into law in December.
The repeal provided a way for Syria to begin transacting with regional and U.S. businesses, but the state sponsor of terrorism designation blocks it from accessing significant U.S. foreign assistance.
Lifting this designation on Syriacould facilitatea whole range of investments in the country, including in oil, banking, technology, and real estate -- which could lead to an economic sea change for the country and more overall stability.
