The Syrian government welcomed the U.S. Senate’s vote on Friday to repeal the Caesar Act, which had been imposed on Syria during the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Sheibani said on X (formerly Twitter):

“Over the past months, under the guidance of President Ahmad al-Shar’a and with the determination of my team at the Foreign Ministry, we worked to lift one of the heaviest burdens that shackled our country economically and politically: the Caesar Act.”

He added that the repeal is:

“A step that restores Syria’s first breaths and opens a new path toward reconstruction and recovery. It restores the dignity of the Syrian people and their right to rebuild their land and shape their future, while allowing state institutions to regain their pulse and prosper. It is the beginning of a new era of rebuilding and revival, based on dignity and justice.”

Syrian Finance Minister Mohammad Yassar Brinya confirmed that the U.S. Senate’s vote to repeal the Caesar Act represents a success for Syrian diplomacy in removing one of the harshest American sanctions on the country.

He explained on Facebook:

• The Senate approved, as part of the U.S. Department of Defense budget, a provision to repeal the law.

• The next step is for the House of Representatives to align with the Senate to approve the same provision, followed by the U.S. President signing the new budget before the end of the year, making the repeal effective.

Brinya added that the repeal provides Syria with future protection:

“If circumstances arise that require re-imposing the law, the process will be long and non-binding for Congress,” meaning reapplying it would not be easy or immediate.

This marks the start of a new phase of gradual liberation from U.S. economic and political sanctions for Syria.