ISTANBUL, May 16 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that a peaceful and stable Syria “would be one of the most dramatic improvements in the region in a very long time,” signalling Washington’s support for the country’s new leadership under President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
“This is a historic opportunity, and if it succeeds, we’ll have a dramatic transformative effect on the region,” Rubio said at a gathering in the southern Turkish resort city of Antalya, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
His remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump met al-Sharaa in Riyadh -- the highest-level contact between the two countries since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December.
Trump described the meeting as “great” and has previously announced his intention to lift US sanctions on Syria.
Rubio praised the new Syrian leadership’s commitment to rebuilding the country as a pluralistic society.
He said Damascus had conveyed its interest in being “at peace with all of their neighbours” and in “driving out foreign fighters and terrorists” that could destabilise the nation.
While stating that the US wishes to be helpful, Rubio stressed that American assistance would depend on Syria’s progress.
“We want to see progress made, and we’ll take every step that they take, and it’ll be a long road,” he said.
He also raised the prospect of approaching Congress in the future to permanently lift the sanctions.
“I think we want to start with the initial waiver, which will allow foreign partners who wanted to flow in aid to begin to do so without running the risk of sanctions,” he added.
Rubio is currently in Turkiye for an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting.
On Thursday, he met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in a trilateral meeting.
After Fidan’s departure, Rubio and al-Shaibani continued discussions.
Trump had announced at the 2025 Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday that he would move to end the “brutal and crippling” sanctions on Syria, saying the country deserved “a chance at greatness.”
He said the decision followed discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump’s first meeting with President al-Sharaa took place on Wednesday in Riyadh, with Mohammed bin Salman in attendance and Erdogan participating online.
He described al-Sharaa as a “tough guy” with a “strong past.”
Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on 8 Dec 2024, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power.
Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to victory, was declared president in late January.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
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