Overview

• Thomas Barrack arrived in Damascus on May 29 to inaugurate the US ambassador’s residence and hoist the American flag for the first time since 2011.
• Barrack met interim president Ahmad al-Chareh and foreign minister Assaad al-Chaibani as part of efforts to normalize US-Syria diplomatic relations.
• He called for a non-aggression agreement between Syria and Israel to lay the groundwork for future dialogue on borders and security.
• A $7 billion energy deal with a consortium of US, Qatari and Turkish firms was signed to rehabilitate about 5,000 megawatts of Syria’s war-battered electrical grid.
• The trip builds on Donald Trump’s May 14 meeting with al-Chareh in Riyadh and follows the US lifting of sanctions on Syria earlier in May.