Al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington over Damascus in terms of security and politics

Damascus – The representative of the United States of America in Syria, Tom Barak, said that the President of Syria, Ahmed Al-Shara, will visit Washington on November 10 to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House.

It will be the first visit by a Syrian president to the US presidential headquarters as al-Shara will sign an agreement to formally join the international coalition against ISIS, and Barak described the visit as “key” to rebuilding bilateral relations after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The visit will also pave the way for a fifth round of direct US-brokered talks between Syria and Israel, with the goal of a border security agreement by the end of the year.

The last visit of a high-ranking Syrian official to the White House was in 1999, when then-Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara met with US President Bill Clinton.

Visit and win it

In a special statement given to Al Jazeera Net, the founder of the Syrian Freedom Road organization, Hisham Nashawati, confirmed that joining the coalition of the new Syrian government has great political and humanitarian significance, and political achievements tip the scales in favor of Damascus.

Nashawati explained that this move gives the new government international legitimacy and official recognition, rather than the achievements of the coalition, and reflects stability and participation in confronting the common enemy, which is ISIS, which maintains Syria and helps the coalition.

He emphasized that Syria is providing local intelligence for precision strikes against ISIS, reducing attacks and protecting civilians.

Nashawati stressed that the agreement undoubtedly weakens the SDF, as it emerges as a stronger ally better able to fulfill its role, but he calls on it to enter into a national partnership with the new government.

US President Donald Trump said at a press conference: “The president of Syria can come to the White House and he is working hard. We lifted the sanctions on Syria to give him a chance and I heard that his president is doing a very good job.”

Weakened “SDF”

For his part, a member of the Syrian-American alliance, Dr. Samer al-Safadi, in exclusive statements to Al-Jazeera Net, confirmed that this move represents a radical change in Syria’s position, from the Eastern Bloc to the NATO and United States alliance, which makes Syria an important multidimensional international partner. Focus on intelligence.

Along with formal accession, al-Safadi expects expansion that includes training and equipping the Syrian army, combating terrorist financing, and removing Syria from the list of state sponsors, opening economic and humanitarian doors. He rejected increasing the American military presence and expected it to be scaled back with limited oversight of the mission to the Syrian Ministry of Defense, the dismantling of bases and the transfer of equipment.

He noted that shifting the fight against ISIS to Damascus weakens the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) but opens the door to integration or marginalization under the Syrian Defense Ministry, especially in the Turkish-backed Damascus-Washington axis.

Al-Safadi concluded: “Syria is becoming an American ally for the first time in its history and will rely on the central government in Damascus instead of dealing with multiple powers in detail.”

In this regard, Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shayban confirmed yesterday, Sunday, during the Manama Dialogue Forum, that the issue of Syrian reconstruction will be part of President Shara’s talks during his visit to Washington.

He adds that many topics are being discussed, starting with the lifting of sanctions and opening a new page between the United States and Syria, noting that the Syrian government wants a very strong partnership with Washington.

true partners

For his part, Mahmoud Alush, a researcher specializing in Turkey and regional affairs, told Al Jazeera Net that Damascus’s inclusion in the international coalition against ISIS makes Syria a key regional partner of Washington and the West in the fight against terrorism.

He explained that this necessarily means that it will be at the expense of the SDF’s role in America’s strategy in Syria and will be a key factor in reformulating the relationship with it.

Alush noted that this is an expected result of the change in American preferences, when the United States finds new partners that represent countries, not groups, in the fight against terrorism, and, of course, they have a higher cost and effectiveness.

He expected that this accession would increase the pressure on the importance of the SDF in the American strategy, and its role in it would not be the same as it was after Syria joined the international coalition.

common goal

Researcher Alush pointed out that the matter will not stop there, because the process of joining the international coalition of Syria is connected with the tendency of America to completely resolve the SDF file, and therefore it is an indication that there will be an important turning point in this case.

He emphasized that Turkey’s position on this matter is clear, as its priorities are the dismantling of the SDF, the cessation of self-government and its integration into the Syrian army, in accordance with the agreement of March 10, 2025.

He explained that Turkey prefers to achieve this goal through a political settlement, but if these political efforts fail, the military option will be on the table.

Alush concluded that recent increased military cooperation between Turkey and Syria indicates that the option of using force against the SDF certainly remains on the table, “and we cannot imagine what that will look like.”