Trudeau “stressed Canada’s support for the Syrian people to achieve progress, stability and enhance security in Syria,” according to a statement from Sharaa’s office.
Sharaa expressed gratitude to Canada for “hosting Syrian refugees,” and emphasized “the importance of strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries and enhancing cooperation in a way that contributes to achieving stability and security for the Syrian and Canadian peoples.”
Since 2015, Canada has hosted over 44,000 Syrian refugees, according to Canadian government data.
The statement added that Trudeau emphasized “the need to work to lift economic sanctions on Syria and announced that he would send a special envoy to Syria as part of providing assistance to the Syrian people.”
The new Syrian administration has regularly criticized the sanctions, saying they hinder the country’s reconstruction.
In January, Canada announced $17.25 million in humanitarian aid to Syria.
Syrians rose against the Assad regime in 2011, leading to a full-scale civil war that had claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, left millions more in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and left much of the country’s infrastructure in ruins.
More than 13 million Syrians, half the country’s pre-war population, have been displaced since the start of the civil war, more than six million of whom are refugees who have fled the war-torn country, according to United Nations figures.
