Washington:
Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkiye and particular envoy to Syria, on Sunday slammed the 1916 Sykes-Picot Settlement that divided the Turkish empire for “imperial gain-not peace.” He mentioned the division of Syria was a historic mistake, as he confused that the autumn of Bashar al-Assad’s regime within the nation would open the door for prosperity and safety.

“A century in the past, the West imposed maps, mandates, penciled borders, and overseas rule. Sykes-Picot divided Syria and the broader area for imperial gain-not peace. That mistake price generations. We is not going to make it once more,” Barrack wrote on X, criticising the previous Western insurance policies.

The Sykes-Picot Settlement was a secret treaty between the UK and France, with assent from Russia and Italy, to outline their mutually agreed spheres of affect and management in an eventual partition of the Ottoman Empire following World Conflict I. The pact is broadly seen as the muse for the imposition of Western affect and arbitrary borders within the Arab areas of the area, notably in oil-rich areas.

A century in the past, the West imposed maps, mandates, penciled borders, and overseas rule. Sykes-Picot divided Syria and the broader area for imperial acquire—not peace. That mistake price generations. We is not going to make it once more.

The period of Western interference is over. The long run…

— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) May 25, 2025

Echoing US President Donald Trump’s Could 13 remarks in Riyadh, Barrack mentioned the way forward for the Center East depends upon regional options and cooperation.

“The period of Western interference is over. The long run belongs to regional options, however partnerships, and a diplomacy grounded in respect. As President Trump emphasised in his Could thirteenth handle in Riyadh, “Gone are the times when Western interventionalists would fly to the Center East to offer lectures on the way to dwell, and the way to govern your individual affairs,” he wrote. 

Barrack famous that Syria’s tragedy “was born from division,” saying its “rebirth should come by dignity, unity, and funding in its folks.”

“That begins with fact, accountability-and working with the area, not round it,” he mentioned.

The assertion follows a big change in US coverage over Syria following Trump’s assembly with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh earlier this month– the primary direct encounter between US and Syrian leaders in 25 years. Earlier than the assembly, Trump ordered the elimination of “brutal and crippling” sanctions on Syria, following which US has issued basic license sanctions aid. The EU has additionally lifted financial sanctions on Syria on Tuesday to assist reconstruction efforts.

Barrack confused that the US stands with Turkiye, the Gulf, and Europe – however “not with troops and lectures, or imaginary boundaries,” however “shoulder-to-shoulder with the Syrian folks themselves.” 

“With the autumn of the Assad regime, the door is open to peace – by eliminating sanctions, we’re enabling the Syrian folks to lastly open that door and uncover a path to renewed prosperity and safety,” he mentioned.

The US ambassador’s assertion got here after he met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Could 24 in Istanbul– a day after assuming the function of particular envoy to Syria.

In the meantime, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday mentioned that Washington helps efforts to assist Syria’s new authorities succeed, warning that failure might set off renewed battle and regional instability.