00:00The U.S. flag was hoisted outside of the long-shuttered ambassador's residence in the Syrian capital Damascus.
00:08The residence has been closed since 2012 after a wave of protests against the government of strongman President Bashar al-Assad was met with violent resistance spiraling the country into civil war.
00:19And although the U.S. has yet to officially reopen its embassy in Syria, the move signals a warming of relations between Washington and Damascus.
00:28The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who was recently appointed a special envoy to Syria, visited Damascus on Thursday to inaugurate the residence.
00:37On his visit, he also met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara and attended the signing of an agreement between U.S.-Qatari and Turkish companies for the redevelopment of the country's electricity grid.
00:48The consortium of companies will develop four combined cycle gas turbines as well as a 1,000-megawatt solar power plant.
00:55These projects, when completed, are expected to supply over 50 percent of Syria's electricity needs.
01:03The new deal comes after U.S. President Donald Trump has made a surprise decision to embrace the new Syrian government.
01:10Earlier this month, Trump announced the lifting of decades-old U.S. sanctions on Syria as he embarked on a tour of the Middle East to help the country's financial recovery.
01:19The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:20The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:21The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:22The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:23The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:24The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:25The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:26The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:27The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:28The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:29The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:30The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:31The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
01:32The new deal comes after U.S.-Qatari.
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