Canada on Friday eased sanctions against Syria by removing it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and lifting the designation of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a terrorist organization, LETA reported citing AFP.
In December, HTS overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and took control of the Syrian government.
"These decisions were not made lightly," said the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As noted in the statement, these steps "align with recent decisions made by our allies, including the United Kingdom and the United States, and follow the efforts of the transitional Syrian government to strengthen stability in Syria."
Canada designated Syria as a state supporting terrorism in 2012, when the Assad regime's repression of pro-democracy supporters led the country into civil war.
Sanctions against HTS were imposed due to the group's ties to al-Qaeda; however, several Western countries have already lifted the designation of HTS as a terrorist organization to ensure closer cooperation with the new Syrian government and its president, former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The new leaders of Syria, after coming to power, seek to sever ties with the violent past and demonstrate a more moderate image both domestically and internationally.
Canada, however, maintains sanctions against 56 Syrians, including former officials of the Assad regime and members of the Assad family, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
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