CAIRO (Reuters) – Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he looked forward to improving relations between the two countries. .

“We are confident that he is the leader who will bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region,” he said.

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed heavy sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar al-Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that led to civil war.

In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian aid.

Syria welcomed the move, but urged a full lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.