Riyadh:

Donald Trump, who is on a whirlwind visit to the Middle East, has scripted history when he met Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia today. Of all his meetings and interactions, this meeting by President Trump was arguably the most significant and has reshaped the geopolitical landscape in central and west Asia.

WHY HEADS TURNED GLOBALLY

The first reason why heads turned when President Trump met President al-Sharaa is because of the latter’s questionable background. Till very recently Ahmad al-Sharaa was known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jawlani (also spelt al-Golani or al-Joulani) – a UN-proscribed and US-designated terrorist.

Over the last two decades Al-Jawlani held key positions in global terror organisations like Al Qaeda and ISIS. According to the United Nations Security Council’s ‘ISIS and Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee’, in July 2013, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani was declared a global terrorist for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating acts of terror”.

FROM GLOBAL TERRORIST TO SYRIA’S PRESIDENT

According to the UN Security Council sanctions committee, he was also held guilty for “supplying, selling or transferring arms” as well as “recruiting for” Al Qaeda and ISIS. He coordinated directly with then Al Qaeda chief Aiman al-Zawahiri and later with then ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (who also went by the name Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali Al-Badri Al-Samarrai).

In 2011, the year of the uprising in Syria against the Russia and Iran-backed Assad regime, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi instructed Al-Jawlani to establish a front for the Al Qaeda in Iraq and Syria by developing a local presence.

In 2012, Al-Jawlani founded the Al-Nusrah Front (also known as Jabhat al-Nusrah), officially known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – a UN-designated terrorist group which officially became Al Qaeda’s offshoot in Syria. By now, the uprising in Syria, which began in 2011 with peaceful protests, had turned into a revolution, with mass protests against the Ba’athist dictatorship of then President Bashar al-Assad.

TARGETING RUSSIA AND IRAN-BACKED ASSAD REGIME

In 2017, the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham rebranded itself as the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham or HTS. Its principal objective was to overthrow the Assad regime led by Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic Caliphate.

Over the years, the revolution in Syria turned into an armed conflict, before escalating into a full-blown civil war, slowly gaining ground across the country. In November 2024, in a sudden and massive offensive, spearheaded by Al-Jawlani’s HTS, the Assad regime rapidly lost major ground, including its stronghold cities.

On December 8, 2024, Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia and the Assad regime collapsed after 53 years of ruling the country with an iron fist. Moscow could not come to Bashar Assad’s rescue in Syria because most of Russia’s military was committed on the Ukrainian front. HTS chief Al-Jawlani declared victory, and was appointed interim President of Syria in January. He then officially assumed his current name Ahmad al-Sharaa.

US MAKES INROADS IN SYRIA

The second reason why Donald Trump’s meeting with Ahmad al-Sharaa raised eyebrows was because the US President announced that he is lifting all sanctions imposed on Syria, which have been in place since 1979.

According to the US Department of State, sanctions were imposed on Syria and the Assad regime in 1979 after the country was designated “a State Sponsor of Terrorism” for providing “political and military support to various terrorist groups”. “The regime continued to provide weapons and political support to Hezbollah (Hizballah) and continued to allow Iran to rearm and finance the terrorist organisation,” it said in a 2019 update.

THE ROLE OF SAUDI ARABIA AND CROWN PRINCE MBS

The third reason that gained global attention was that it was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who suggested and arranged the meeting between President Trump and President al-Sharaa. After the meeting, Donald Trump acknowledged that the Saudi royal played a crucial role in the decisions made today.

Besides all sanctions being lifted, Donald Trump’s meeting, followed by a statement by the White House makes it clear that the United States has recognised and legitamised the new regime in Syria. President Trump said, “Syria deserves a chance at peace under al-Sharaa” as the two heads of states met.

A closed-door meeting then commenced, during which, President Trump encouraged President Al-Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people. The US President also urged his Syrian counterpart to sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel, and expel all foreign terrorists from Syria.

Today, President Trump, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. President Erdogan of Turkey joined by phone. President Erdogan praised President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside Saudi… pic.twitter.com/0yhyZbQ1o0

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) May 14, 2025

THE TURKEY EQUATION AND BACKING FROM THE GULF

The fourth reason why the meeting assumed significance for Asia, was because Turkey’s President Erdogan joined Donald Trump and Syria’s al-Sharaa over a phone call during their meeting.

Several Gulf nations have also put their weight behind Syria’s new regime, viewing it as a possible counterweight to Iran, with Tehran-backed Assad now confined to the history books.

ISRAEL’S CAUTION TO THE US

Israel isn’t pleased with US’ recognition of Ahmad al-Sharaa as Syrian President. Tel Aviv has cautioned Washington against giving legitimacy to the new government due to its terror background.

But with sanctions being lifted and today’s historic meeting, a new era has begun in the Middle East (Gulf) and West Asia. Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meteoric rise from a UN-designated global terrorist to Syria’s new President – now with formal ties with America – is perhaps the most astonishing turnarounds in geopolitical history.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry has hailed Donald Trump’s announcement today as a “pivotal turning point” in the country’s journey. A statement released by their foreign office said, “The removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people.”