The Syrian president makes a historic visit to the United States.

A day after being taken off of Washington’s terrorism blacklist, Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, made his historic official visit to the United States on Saturday, according to the country’s official news agency.

Sharaa is scheduled to see US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. Sharaa’s rebel troops overthrew longtime leader Bashar al-Assad late last year.

Analysts say the visit is the first by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946.

During the US president’s May regional tour, the interim leader had his first encounter with Trump in Riyadh.

Earlier this month, US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack stated that Sharaa would “hopefully” sign a deal to join the global coalition led by the United States against the Islamic State (IS).

A diplomatic source in Syria told AFP that the US intends to build a military facility close to Damascus “to coordinate humanitarian aid and observe developments between Syria and Israel.”

It was mostly anticipated that the State Department would take Sharaa off the blacklist on Friday.

According to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Sharaa’s administration has been complying with US demands, such as locating missing Americans and destroying any chemical weapons that may still be in existence.

“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” said Pigott.

According to the spokesperson, the delisting of the US will support “regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.”

Change

The journey to Washington follows Sharaa’s historic September visit to the United Nations, where he became the first Syrian president to address the UN General Assembly in decades and made his first appearance on American territory.

Washington spearheaded the Security Council’s vote on Thursday to lift the UN sanctions imposed on him.

As recently as July, Washington delisted Sharaa’s organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was once associated with Al-Qaeda, as a terrorist organization.

Since assuming power, Syria’s new leaders have worked to distance themselves from their violent history and project a more moderate image that is more acceptable to both international powers and regular Syrians.

The White House visit “is further testament to the US commitment to the new Syria and a hugely symbolic moment for the country’s new leader, who thus marks another step in his astonishing transformation from militant leader to global statesman,” according to Michael Hanna, director of the US program for the International Crisis Group.

It is anticipated that Sharaa would raise money for Syria, which is having a difficult time recovering from a bloody civil war that lasted 13 years.