Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad is set to visit Washington this week for talks aimed at potentially lifting longstanding US sanctions on Damascus, according to a report by Axios. The discussions, marking a rare diplomatic engagement between the two nations, come amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. US officials have indicated that any sanctions relief would be contingent on Syria's new leadership demonstrating commitments to human rights and counter-terrorism efforts.