CAIRO (Reuters) - Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries. "We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region," he said.

We look forward to improving the relations between our two countries based on dialogue and understanding, says Al Sharaa

In an official statement posted to Telegram in English, Al-Sharaa said he was "confident" that Trump will be the leader to "bring peace to the Middle East ", which has undergone turmoil amid Syria's devastating civil war, Israel's war in Gaza, and subsequent regional spillover.

World leaders, including the heads of NATO and the European Union, congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump, who returned to the White House after

Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad on December 8.

Leaders and monarchs across the Arab world have sent their congratulations to Donald Trump as his second term as president of the United States begins. Syria's new administration said in a statement it was looking forward to improving relations with the US.