Syria's top diplomat Asaad Al-Shaibani held talks with US Republican Congressman Cory Mills during his visit to Damascus over the weekend, Syrian media reported.
Mills travelled to Syria with fellow House Republican Marlin Stutzman in what was the first visit to the country by US lawmakers since Islamist rebels overthrew the Assad regime in December.
Al-Shaibani and Mills "extensively" discussed the current economic and security situation in Syria, including the West's strict economic sanctions regime, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The talks also focused on opportunities to improve ties between Damascus and the Trump administration, which is wary about engaging with Syria's new authorities.
Al-Shaibani emphasised the need to lift the "illegal" sanctions, which he said were essential to strengthening relations.
Syria's leadership has pushed Western nations to relax the punishing Assad-era sanctions, which continue to choke the country's war-stricken economy.
The Biden administration in January handed Damascus a slight reprieve by issuing a temporary waiver on some restrictions for a six-month period.
Washington has since taken a harder line under the Trump administration, whose foreign policy officials are more sceptical of the intentions of the hardline Islamists now occupying key positions in government.
A document seen by The Washington Post last week revealed eight conditions the administration wants Syrian authorities to meet before it considers rolling back some of the sanctions.
The list, handed to Al-Shaibani by a Trump official last month, includes giving American forces free rein to conduct anti-terror operations anywhere in Syria and the expulsion of Palestinian political groups from the country.
The EU and UK lifted some of the restrictions in the weeks following Assad's ouster but say they will leave most in place until the new authorities demonstrate a commitment to inclusive governance.
Syria's economic chiefs, including the finance minister and central bank head, are in Washington this week for the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, where they will talk to officials about accessing financial aid and relaxing the sanctions.
Mills and Al-Shaibani also discussed "common threats" facing the two countries, including terrorism and drug smuggling.
The meeting came a day after Mills met Syria's interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa.