Thomas Barrack, the United States Special Envoy to Syria, stated that President Donald Trump reached his decisions on Syria only after the most thorough and deliberate consideration. He emphasised that the President had decided to extend a genuine opportunity to Syria’s new leader, President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Barrack’s remarks came during a high-level panel discussion held on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025, where he appeared alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulayfi, and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.
A New Governance Emerging in Syria
Mr Barrack described the achievements of Syria’s government as remarkable and urged the international community to support those responsible for this progress in the year ahead. He reiterated that President Trump’s decisions, far from being impulsive, were the result of in-depth analysis and intended to open a historic opportunity for President Sharaa.
“We are duty-bound to assist the Syrian government,” he said, “and, above all, to grant the Syrian people the sovereign right to determine the character of their own political system.” Syria, he added, must be allowed to redefine itself, as events clearly show it is moving in a positive direction.
The American envoy stressed that the world must not overlook the youth of Syria’s current leadership. What the country needs now is stability, not pressure. The United States, he said, is actively seeking constructive paths to help resolve Syria’s ongoing challenges, and President Trump has deliberately refrained from interfering in Damascus’s internal affairs.
Al-Shaibani: We Seek Calm Relations
For his part, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani declared that no security arrangement with Israel can be considered while Israeli forces continue to occupy additional Syrian territory seized since 8 December. He insisted that Israel must immediately stop interfering in Syria’s domestic affairs and end its efforts to sow division among its sects and communities.
Israel, he stated, remains the primary obstacle at present. “Our red line is clear: full withdrawal from all Syrian land occupied after 8 December.” He reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and to the diplomatic track currently pursued through American mediation.
Minister Shaibani noted that there is now a clear international will to ensure the success of Syria’s current political experiment. The Government of Reconstruction, he said, requires both internal stability and secure external partnerships. It is working towards this goal in coordination with regional states and the broader international community, while also facing significant legal hurdles.
He revealed that upon assuming power after the liberation, Syria’s new leadership was stunned by the depth of institutional collapse and the damage inflicted by the foreign policy of Bashar al-Assad’s former regime. One year later, however, while it remains too early for a final assessment, a restored bond of trust between the Syrian people and their government can be observed. This trust had been gravely undermined under the previous leadership, but is now slowly returning alongside a renewed sense of national confidence.
“We adopt a rigorously realistic approach to our circumstances,” Shaibani concluded. “The challenges before us are immense, yet we have restored the confidence of the Syrian people, a capital more valuable than any other.” He added with satisfaction that the United States now considers Syria a partner state.
The Qatari Strategy
Qatar’s Minister of State, Dr Mohammed al-Khulayfi, affirmed that Doha’s strategy rests on sustained fraternal cooperation with Syria. While security remains Qatar’s primary concern, and was discussed in depth with Envoy Barrack, he insisted that Israeli aggression against Syria must cease without delay.
He expressed his confidence that Syria’s future will be brighter than its recent past.
Never before, he said, has the partnership between Qatar and Syria been stronger. Doha’s position toward the Syrian people has remained unchanged for fourteen years. Several Qatari institutions have already begun operations inside Syria in full coordination with the authorities, and many more are expected to follow.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
