Thomas Barrack, a billionaire friend of Donald Trump who chaired the former president’s inaugural fund, exits following a not guilty verdict at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, US, Nov. 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The United States will appoint President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser and current US ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkey said.

The decision follows Trump’s landmark announcement last week that US sanctions on Syria would be lifted. It also suggests US acknowledgement that Turkey has emerged with key regional influence on Damascus since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster by rebels in December, which ended 14 years of civil war.

Trump met with Syria‘s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14 and urged him to normalize ties with longtime foe Israel following his surprise sanctions announcement.

“There is no announcement at this time,” a US State Department spokesperson said when asked for comment about Barrack‘s Syria role.

Barrack, a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016, is expected to continue as US envoy to Turkey, the sources said.

Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was allowing Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to work with local officials in Syria to understand what 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.

A US-Turkish meeting focused on Syria was also held in Washington on Tuesday, which Barrack attended according to Turkey‘s foreign ministry, where sanctions relief and efforts to counter terrorism were discussed.

Removing US sanctions would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations working in Syria, and ease foreign investment and trade as the country tries to rebuild.

Barrack has been busy since his arrival in Ankara earlier this month, dining with Turkey‘s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on his second evening in the capital, according to people familiar with the event.

He joined Rubio for several high-profile meetings last week, including one with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani in Antalya hosted by Fidan.

He and Rubio also met with Turkish and Ukrainian government ministers ahead of the latter’s talks with Russian officials, the first direct ceasefire discussions in three years between the warring sides.