The UN Security Council voted on Thursday to lift sanctions against Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab, removing them from a list targeting Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliates. Fourteen council members supported the measure while China abstained, arguing the American-backed resolution ignored dissenting viewpoints and advanced Washington's political interests.
Syrian Ambassador Ibrahim Abdulmalik Olabi characterized the decision as recognition of growing international trust in the country's new leadership following the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. The United States and United Kingdom previously freed roughly 15 billion dollars in frozen assets and removed terrorist designations from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that toppled the former regime. Multiple nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have committed financial support for government salaries and energy infrastructure.
Syria's economy contracted 54 percent between 2010 and 2021, according to World Bank data, with more than 90 percent of citizens living in poverty under the previous administration.
Syrian Ambassador Ibrahim Abdulmalik Olabi characterized the decision as recognition of growing international trust in the country's new leadership following the December 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. The United States and United Kingdom previously freed roughly 15 billion dollars in frozen assets and removed terrorist designations from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that toppled the former regime. Multiple nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have committed financial support for government salaries and energy infrastructure.
Syria's economy contracted 54 percent between 2010 and 2021, according to World Bank data, with more than 90 percent of citizens living in poverty under the previous administration.
