——- Qatar signs $200bn deal to buy jets from Boeing during Trump visit
——- The deal includes 160 Boeing jets
——- It was announced during his second Gulf states stop
——- “The largest order of jets in the history of Boeing,” Trump says quoting Boeing CEO
DM Monitoring
DOHA: Agreements signed by US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Wednesday will “generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion,” the White House said in a fact sheet, summarizing some of the deals’ details.
The agreements include a $96 billion deal with Qatar Airways to buy up to 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X airplanes with GE Aerospace engines, the fact sheet said. They also include a statement of intent that could lead to $38 billion in investments at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base and other air defense and maritime security capabilities, it said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump met with Syria’s president in Saudi Arabia and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel, after a surprise US announcement that it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.
Trump met Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa, who once pledged allegiance to al Qaeda and swept to power at the head of a group that Washington has called a terrorist organisation, before a summit between the United States and Gulf Arab countries.
Earlier, United States President Donald Trump has announced that Washington is exploring the normalisation of ties with Damascus, following a historic meeting with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa – the first such encounter in over two decades. Trump confirmed the development on Wednesday during a summit with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.
He also said the US would be lifting all sanctions imposed on Syria.
“With the support of the great leaders in this room, we are currently exploring normalising relations with Syria’s new government,” Trump said.
He described the lifting of sanctions as a “fresh start” for the war-ravaged nation and added that he had consulted with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about the move.
Removing US sanctions that cut Syria off from the global financial system will clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organisations and will ease foreign investment and trade as the country rebuilds from a civil war.
The White House said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Türkiye to continue discussions on bilateral ties.
According to a White House statement, Trump urged al-Sharaa during their meeting to deport Palestinians classified as “terrorists,” sign the Abraham Accords with Israel, and assume responsibility for Daesh detention centres in northeast Syria.
The meeting came after months of speculation following the toppling of former President Bashar al-Assad in December during a rapid offensive by opposition fighters aligned with al-Sharaa.
Trump’s declaration was met with applause from Arab leaders present at the summit and celebrations in several Syrian cities on Tuesday night.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud told a press conference Riyadh will support Syria’s economic recovery and that there are many investment opportunities in the country after sanctions are lifted.
US ally Israel has opposed sanctions relief for Syria and has escalated its military operations since Assad was toppled, saying it will not tolerate an Islamist presence in southern Syria.
Israel has seized ground in the southwest of the country, warned the Syrian government against deploying forces there, and has blown up much of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons and equipment in the days after Assad fell.
The announcement marks a dramatic shift in US foreign policy towards Syria and is likely to reshape the country’s diplomatic position in the region after decades of isolation. –Agencies
