Syria heading in 'positive direction,' trajectory must be maintained: US Secretary of State Rubio

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Syria is moving in a positive direction despite significant challenges, and the current trajectory must be maintained, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday, defending the Trump administration's decision to work with the new administration.

"No one here has ever disputed that the challenge of Syria were going to be a very significant one," Rubio told reporters alongside Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. He was addressing Republican congressional concerns about Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who took charge after the 2024 ouster of Bashar al-Assad, potentially moving "backwards."

US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack briefed congressional committees last week with transparency about the difficulties involved, Rubio said, adding: "But we think it's headed in a positive direction, even though it's been tested."

"Is it going to be easy? No. Is it going to be difficult? Absolutely. Is it going to have ups and downs and good days and bad days? No doubt about it," he said, noting there have been some difficult days. "We like the trajectory. We have to keep it on that trajectory."

Rubio outlined two options the US administration faced regarding Syria: allowing the country to fragment into chaos with mass migration, terrorism and Iranian influence, or working with Syrian authorities.

"Guess what? We chose number two," he said, arguing the current outcome "is far better than a Syria that would have been broken up ... with all kinds of fighting going on."

He detailed actions taken to prevent ISIS (Daesh) prisoners from escaping, crediting US President Donald Trump's personal engagement with his Syrian counterpart.

Rubio said Trump urged a halt to fighting to enable transfer of thousands of ISIS prisoners who "could have broken out and created havoc and chaos."

"Al-Sharaa did it. He's kept his word up to this point," Rubio said, noting prisoners have been moved to Iraq, preventing them "running crazy all over the place and threatening us in the future."

ISIS detainees had been released by the YPG/SDF terror group from the al-Shaddadi prison in northeastern Hasakah province in January, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry, which held the terror organization responsible. The Syrian government recaptured all prisoners.