Damascus: The expiration of a 45-day US congressional review period on Saturday cleared a key procedural hurdle to removing Syria from Washington's list of state sponsors of terrorism, a Syrian official said. Jihad Makdissi, an adviser on US affairs at the Syrian Foreign Ministry, stated that while the congressional stage is now completed, Syria's designation has not been automatically lifted.

According to Anadolu Agency, the US can now proceed to the final executive step, which requires a formal decision by the secretary of state and subsequent publication in the Federal Register. Makdissi shared on US social media platform X that this move could ease restrictions related to the designation and send a positive signal to international financial institutions, companies, and governments.

Makdissi highlighted the potential benefits of this change, which include boosting investment, trade, and banking transactions. However, he cautioned that other restrictions on Syria remain and are subject to separate legal processes.

The upcoming phase will concentrate on completing the executive procedures and addressing remaining restrictions to facilitate additional economic and political engagement with Syria. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa recently met with US President Donald Trump in Ankara during a NATO summit.

The Syrian Arab News Agency reported that Trump handed al-Sharaa a formal letter, informing him of the congressional notification regarding his decision to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. This notification initiated the 45-day congressional review period.