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CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Long-shuttered US ambassador's residence in Damascus is reopened as Washington mends ties with Syria
Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, raises the American flag at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Damascus on May 29, 2025. (SANA via AP) DAMASCUS, Syria — An American flag was hoisted outside of the long-shuttered U.S. ambassador's residence in Damascus on Thursday, in a sign of growing ties between Washington and the new Syrian government. The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who has also been appointed special envoy to Syria, arrived to inaugurate the residence, Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported. He met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and attended the signing of an agreement for a consortium of Qatari, Turkish and U.S. companies for development of a 5,000-megawatt energy project to revitalize much of Syria's war-battered electricity grid. Under the deal signed Thursday, a consortium led by Qatar's UCC Concession Investments — along with Power International USA and Turkey's Kalyon GES Enerji Yatirimlari, Cengiz Enerji — will develop four combined-cycle gas turbines with a total generating capacity estimated at approximately 4,000 megawatts and a 1,000-megawatt solar power plant. A statement sent out by UCC said that 'once completed, these projects are expected to supply over 50 per cent of the country's electricity needs.' Washington hasn't formally reopened its embassy in Damascus, which closed in 2012 after protests against the government of then-President Bashar Assad, met by a brutal crackdown, spiraled into civil war. Assad was unseated in December in a lightning rebel offensive. But Barrack's visit and the raising of the flag were a significant signal of warming relations. Washington was initially circumspect about Syria's new leaders, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former leader of an Islamist insurgent group that the U.S. still lists as a terrorist organization. However, the Trump administration — encouraged by two U.S. allies in the region, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — has in recent weeks shown increasing openness to Damascus. Trump held a surprise meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh earlier this month, and the U.S. has begun to roll back decades of sanctions slapped on Syria under the Assad dynasty. Speaking at the ceremony celebrating the signing of the energy deals, Barrack praised the 'bold decision' to lift sanctions and said the move comes with 'no conditions, no requirements.' There is only 'one simple expectation and that expectation sits behind me, the alignment of these amazing countries,' he said, referring to the flags of the U.S., Qatar, Turkey and Syria behind him. The U.S. State Department posted a statement on X on Thursday attributed to Trump announcing Barrack's appointment as envoy to Syria. 'Tom understands there is great potential in working with Syria to stop Radicalism, improve Relations, and secure Peace in the Middle East. Together, we will Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!' the statement said. Barrack thanked Trump in an X post for 'your bold vision, empowering a historically rich region, long oppressed, to reclaim its destiny through self-determination.'
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Four firms including Qatar's UCC to expand Syrian power grid
The Syrian government is set to sign deal on Thursday with four companies to expand its electrical grid by 5,000 megawatts through the development of gas turbines and solar plants, according to a company media invitation. The agreement launching the Syria Power Revival Initiative will be signed at the Syrian presidential palace on Thursday. The deal will involve Qatar's UCC Concession Investments as the lead developer, along with Kalyon GES Enerji Yatirimlari, Cengiz Enerji and Power International USA, according to the UCC Holding media invitation. (Reporting by Andrew Mills; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Jan Harvey)
