Canada has removed Syria from its list of foreign state sponsors of terrorism after an “extensive review,” federal ministers announced Friday, marking a major change in policy toward the Middle Eastern country.
Ottawa has also removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that led a rebel takeover last year, from its list of terrorist entities under the Criminal Code, a joint statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said.
“These decisions were not taken lightly; the safety and security of Canadians will remain paramount for the Government of Canada,” the statement says.
The move marks the latest warming of relations between G7 nations and Syria following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which brought a lengthy and brutal civil war to a dramatic close.
Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, was the leader of HTS during the civil war and was once aligned with al-Qaida, before severing ties with the group in 2016.
The Canadian terrorist designation for HTS described it as “an Islamist group in Syria whose purported primary objectives are overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria followed by the creation of an Islamic state under Sharia Law.”
Al-Sharaa — previously known as Abu Muhammad al-Golani before revealing his real name upon entering Damascus last year — has distanced himself and HTS from al-Qaida and ISIS, and has vowed to create a modern democracy and “institutional” government.
Since coming to power, al-Sharaa has successfully sought to restore ties with Arab countries and the West. He has met with U.S. President Donald Trump twice this year, including at the White House in November, where Syria joined a U.S.-led global coalition to fight the Islamic State group.
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The White House visit marked the first by a Syrian head of state since Syria gained independence from France in 1946.
The United States and the United Kingdom lifted their own terrorism designations for both Syria and HTS earlier this year, while Trump and the United Nations Security Council have begun to remove some of the sanctions placed on the country.
Last winter, Canada temporarily suspended some of its own sanctions on Syria after widespread demands to unblock financial services to help the country rebuild from the civil war.
Syria held its first parliamentary elections under the new government this fall, and al-Sharaa has promised presidential elections will take place within five years.
“Canada welcomes the positive steps taken by the Syrian transitional government since the end of the Assad regime towards a peaceful Syrian-led political transition,” Anand said in Friday’s statement. “Canada stands steadfast with the people of Syria in their quest for an inclusive, stable and prosperous future.”
Anandasangaree added that Canada “will continue to closely monitor the situation in Syria and take measures against violent extremist or terrorist activity by ISIS and Al-Qaida that poses a threat to Canada, our citizens and our interests around the world.”
While relations with Syria have improved, al-Sharaa still faces challenges.
The toughest U.S. sanctions on Syria still need approval from Congress to be removed, choking off badly needed investments and efforts to revive the Syrian economy.
Canada is still imposing targeted sanctions on 56 entities in Syria and 225 individuals, including people whom Ottawa say are senior officials of the former Assad regime.
Al-Sharaa’s rule has been shaken by two major eruptions of violence pitting Sunni Muslim fighters loyal to his government against members of minorities, testing his pledge to protect their rights and build an inclusive new order.
In March, more than a thousand Alawites were killed in attacks by Sunni fighters in response to deadly attacks on security forces by former officers loyal to Assad, who himself is an Alawite.
In July, more than 1,000 people — most of them Druze — were reported killed in violence that pitted government forces and allied Bedouin fighters against Druze militia in Sweida.
Al-Sharaa has promised accountability over the violence and his government formed committees to investigate.
The head of Amnesty International told the Associated Press last month after visiting Damascus that Syria’s new government is taking steps toward reform, but added democracy is still lacking and that recent changes “are not very deep.”
Israel, suspicious of al-Sharaa’s jihadist roots, has bombed southern Syria multiple times with the stated aim of protecting Druze and preventing cross-border militant attacks. An Israeli raid last week killed 13 people.
The two countries, which do not have diplomatic relations, have been negotiating a potential security agreement to de-escalate.
—with files from Global’s Uday Rana, the Canadian Press, the Associated Press and Reuters
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