Trump announced the lifting of long-standing sanctions on Syria, a decision he attributed to a personal gesture "for the Crown Prince." The historic announcement, made during his visit to Saudi Arabia, stunned the international community. As Trump unveiled the shift in policy, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the royal family erupted in applause, giving Trump a thunderous standing ovation in recognition of the gesture.
00:00Restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.
00:08Secretary Marco Rubio will be meeting with the new Syrian foreign minister in Turkey later this week.
00:15I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.
00:30Likewise in Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.
00:53That's what we want to see in Syria. They've had their share of travesty war, killing many years.
01:02That's why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.
01:14And I'm very pleased to announce that Secretary Marco Rubio will be meeting with the new Syrian foreign minister in Turkey later this week.
01:27And very importantly, after discussing the situation in Syria with the crown prince, your crown prince.
01:40And also with President Erdogan of Turkey, who called me the other day and asked for a very similar thing, among others and friends of mine,
01:51the other day and people that I have a lot of respect for in the Middle East, I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.
02:21Oh, what I do for the crown prince.
02:41The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important, really an important function, nevertheless, at the time.
02:53But now it's their time to shine. It's their time to shine.
02:56We're taking them all off and they're going to have, I think they're going to have based on the people and the spirit and everything else that I'm hearing about.
03:04So I say, good luck, Syria. Show us something very special, like they've done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia.
03:11OK, they're going to show us something special. Very good people.
03:15Everywhere we can, my administration is pursuing peaceful engagement, offering a strong and steady hand of friendship to all that will take it in good faith.
03:26Together, we have made unprecedented strides and tremendous progress.
03:33And we're still just at the dawn of the bright new day that awaits for the people of the Middle East, the great, great people of the Middle East.
