Rubio meets Syria's leader in New York as the country's isolation eases
further
[September 23, 2025]
By MATTHEW LEE
NEW YORK (AP) — Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met Monday with U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, expanding relations with the
West and further easing his country's isolation as he becomes Syria's
first leader to take part in a U.N. high-level meeting in nearly 60
years.
The last time a Syrian head of state attended the U.N. General Assembly
gathering of world leaders was in 1967 — before the 50-year rule of the
Assad family dynasty. A lightning insurgent offensive led by al-Sharaa
ousted Bashar Assad in December and brought nearly 14 years of civil war
to an end.
Since then, al-Sharaa has sought to restore ties with Arab countries and
the West, where officials were initially wary of his past ties with the
al-Qaida militant group. The rebel group he formerly led, Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham, was previously designated by the United States as a foreign
terrorist group.
President Donald Trump's administration has erased that designation and
eased sanctions long imposed on Syria in a bid to ensure the country
becomes a stable player in the Middle East following its global
isolation under Assad.
Rubio “underscored this opportunity for Syria to build a stable and
sovereign nation following President Trump’s historic announcement
earlier this year on sanctions relief for the Syrian people,” the State
Department said in a statement.
“They discussed ongoing counterterrorism efforts, efforts to locate
missing Americans, and the importance of Israel-Syria relations in
achieving greater regional security,” the department said.
However, al-Sharaa again expressed doubt that Syria would join the
Abraham Accords, which saw several Arab states normalize relations with
Israel during Trump's first term. That is even as Syria is in talks with
the U.S. and Israel over a potential security arrangement that could be
finalized as early as this week.
“There’s a big difference between Syria and those members in the Abraham
Accords,” he said earlier Monday at the Concordia Annual Summit, a
global affairs forum in New York. “Syria is different. And those who are
part of the Abraham Accords are not neighbors to Israel. Therefore,
Syria as a neighbor has been subjected to over 1,000 raids, strikes and
Israeli incursions.”
He added that “Syria has to be respected in this new era. There are
different phases of negotiations with Israel to go back to the truce of
1974.”
The comments from al-Sharaa came in a conversation with retired Gen.
David Petraeus, who commanded troops in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
and previously served as CIA director.
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Interim Syria President Ahmed al-Sharaa smiles during the Concordia
Annual Summit in New York, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Andres
Kudacki)
They met in a New York conference hall after fighting on opposite sides
of the U.S.-led war in Iraq two decades ago. Al-Sharaa was an al-Qaida
militant imprisoned by American forces, while Petraeus was the architect
of a military strategy that for a time succeeded in suppressing the
extremist group.
At the forum, al-Sharaa praised Trump, whom he met in Saudi Arabia in
May, for taking a “bold decision” on lifting many sanctions against
Syria. “I think Syria deserves a new opportunity,” al-Sharaa said.
However, some sanctions remain, and the State Department had to waive
Assad-era visa restrictions on Syria for al-Sharaa and his delegation so
they could participate in the U.N. meeting of world leaders, which kicks
off Tuesday.
Al-Sharaa urged the United States to remove the remaining sanctions,
saying Syria needs help as it comes out of war and crisis.
“The Syrian people should not be killed another time through the
sanctions,” he said. “The Syrian people love work. Lift the sanctions,
and don’t worry about them.”
He also met in New York with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Gregory Meeks,
ranking Democrats on the foreign relations committees, and Shaheen
emphasized that Congress should pass legislation she is co-sponsoring to
lift penalties still in place, according to a statement from the Senate
committee.
Asked about atrocities committed against members of minorities in the
coastal region and the southern province of Sweida that have caused
alarm in the U.S. and elsewhere, al-Sharaa said “there was major chaos
and everyone made mistakes.”
He noted that for the first time in 60 years, Syria has allowed
international fact-finding teams into the country.
“The Syrian state will work on accountability against those found guilty
even if they were the closest people to us,” he said.
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Associated Press writers James Pollard in New York and Bassem Mroue in
Beirut contributed to this report.
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