The United States is set to appoint President Donald Trump’s longtime advisor and current US ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter and a Turkish diplomat.
This decision follows Trump’s landmark announcement last week that US sanctions on Syria will be lifted. It also indicates US recognition that Turkey has gained significant regional influence on Damascus since Bashar al-Assad’s removal by rebels in December, which ended 14 years of civil war.
On May 14, Trump met with Syria’s interim President, Ahmad al-Chareh, in Saudi Arabia, where he encouraged him to normalize relations with Israel, Syria’s longtime adversary, following his unexpected sanctions announcement.
“There is no announcement at this time,” a US State Department spokesperson said when asked to comment on Barrack’s role in Syria.
Barrack, a private equity executive and longtime Trump advisor who chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016, is expected to remain as US envoy to Turkey, according to the sources.
During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that he was allowing Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to collaborate with local officials in Syria to determine the aid they need.
“We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilize the entire region,” Rubio said.
On Tuesday, a US-Turkish meeting focused on Syria was also held in Washington, where Barrack was in attendance, according to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry. The meeting addressed sanctions relief and efforts to counter terrorism.
Lifting US sanctions would pave the way for increased engagement from humanitarian organizations operating in Syria and ease foreign investment and trade as the country works to rebuild.
Since his arrival in Ankara earlier this month, Barrack has been active, dining with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on his second evening in the capital, according to sources with knowledge of the event.
He also joined Rubio for several high-profile meetings last week, including one with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani in Antalya, hosted by Fidan.
Additionally, Barrack and Rubio met with Turkish and Ukrainian government ministers ahead of the latter’s talks with Russian officials, marking the first direct ceasefire discussions in three years between the warring sides.
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