Trump announces plan to lift sanctions on Syria as he agrees $600bn deal with Saudi Arabia
Donald Trump says he'll lift sanctions on Syria following the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime last year.
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President Trump said it was time for Syria to move forward. He said: “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.
"It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off. Good luck Syria, show us something very special.”
The US President has been speaking at a US-Saudi investment conference during a four-day trip to the Middle East.
Trump agreed a $600bn deal with Saudi Arabia, which they say is a "strategic economic partnership".
Energy, mining, and defence are all included as part of the landmark agreement.
The White House said in a statement: "Today in Saudi Arabia, President Donald J. Trump announced Saudi Arabia’s $600-billion commitment to invest in the United States, building economic ties that will endure for generations to come.
"The first deals under the announcement strengthen our energy security, defense industry, technology leadership, and access to global infrastructure and critical minerals."
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Read more: US signs $600bn deal with Saudi Arabia as Donald Trump hails 'largest arms agreement in history'
An arms deal worth $142bn was also struck between the two leaders.
The White House hailed the arms deal as "the largest defence sales agreement in history",
It added that the agreement will see Saudi Arabia provided with "state-of-the-art warfighting equipment and services from over a dozen US defence firms".
Speaking following the deal in Riyadh, Trump hailed the transformation of major cities in the Middle East.
“A new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos,” he said.
He added: “Where it exports technology, not terrorism, and where people of different nations, religions and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other out of existence.”
Trump also heaped praise on his flurry of economic deals, claiming: "The days of economic misery under the last administration are rapidly giving way to the greatest economy in the history of the world.
"We are rocking. The United States is the hottest country... with the exception of your country, I have to say, right."