According to the official SANA news agency, Al-Shaibani reported that the president will meet with US officials at the White House and specified that the reconstruction of Syria will be one of the main topics discussed during his stay in the US capital.

The Foreign Minister stressed that there is no longer any justification for the continuation of sanctions against his country and reiterated that Syria aspires to maintain balanced relations with all states.

For his part, US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack told Reuters that Washington hopes Damascus will join the US-led international coalition against Daesh during the Syrian president’s visit.

This will be the first visit by a Syrian head of State to Washington since the country’s independence in 1946, and Al-Shara’s second visit to the United States, following his participation in the United Nations General Assembly meetings held in New York last September.

President Al-Shara met with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, last May, during which Trump announced the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria.

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