Syrian President Meets with US Congressional Delegation in Damascus

Alsharq Tribune- Gina Issa 

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received a delegation of US lawmakers in Damascus on Tuesday, following their visit to Amman, where they met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II a day earlier.

The delegation included Senator Markwayne Mullin, Senator Joni Ernst, and Representatives Jason Smith and Jimmy Panetta.

According to a Syrian Foreign Ministry statement, the talks were attended by Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Interior Minister Anas Khattab.

State-run Ikhbariya Syria television described the visit as a sign of the “importance of US-Syrian relations” and a fresh success in the government’s diplomatic outreach to strengthen dialogue with international partners.

A statement from Jordan’s Royal Court on Monday said King Abdullah’s discussions with the delegation focused on the situation in Syria, reaffirming Jordan’s support for Damascus’ efforts to preserve security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

This is not the first congressional visit to Damascus this year. In April, al-Sharaa hosted Representative Cory Mills and later met Representative Marlin Stutzman at the People’s Palace in the Syrian capital.

Mills framed his visit as a first for a US lawmaker after the former regime’s fall, signaling Washington’s interest in forging stronger ties with Damascus as a potential model for the region.