President Donald Trump announced Sunday the appointment of Tom Barrack, the current US Ambassador to Turkey, as Special Presidential Envoy to both Syria and Iraq, a dual role that signals Washington's intensifying diplomatic engagement across the region.
Tom Barrack, Reuters/Bing Guan/Mena Today
President Donald Trump announced Sunday the appointment of Tom Barrack, the current US Ambassador to Turkey, as Special Presidential Envoy to both Syria and Iraq, a dual role that signals Washington's intensifying diplomatic engagement across the region.
"Tom Barrack has done an outstanding job," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that Barrack would "operate with the full backing of the United States Department of State" while retaining his post as Ambassador to Ankara.
The appointment reflects the growing strategic importance the Trump administration places on its relationships with both Damascus and Baghdad. "As we advance our strategic cooperation with the Governments of Syria and Iraq, our relationship with them continues to grow," the president noted.
The decision to keep Barrack simultaneously as Ambassador to Turkey is significant, given Ankara's pivotal role in Syrian affairs and its complex relationship with both Baghdad and Washington. Having a single envoy straddling all three capitals could streamline US diplomacy across a region where the interests of Turkey, Syria and Iraq are deeply intertwined.
The appointments take effect immediately.
Turkey's ousted opposition leader Ozgur Ozel showed he can still command strong support on Saturday, drawing a crowd of thousands in Ankara despite a court ruling that removed him from office and dealt a blow to President Tayyip Erdogan's challengers.
Syria issued a warning Thursday over rising water levels along the Euphrates River, following floods in the country's north and east caused by heavy rainfall and increased water flows from Turkey.
The reinstated chair of Turkey's main opposition party Kemal Kilicdaroglu said on Wednesday the party will hold a congress once legal conditions are met, after a court ousted the previous leadership, triggering an internal crisis and market volatility last week.
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