Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command:

“It’s an honor to speak to conference attendees about the historic opportunity presented by Syria’s ongoing transition.

The United States and Syria share a vital interest in preserving peace and stability throughout the Middle East. Since taking command of CENTCOM in August, I’ve had the privilege of visiting Syria multiple times — including a landmark trip to Damascus in September, where I met President Alshara and became the first CENTCOM commander to visit what is clearly a vibrant city full of hope, possibility, and opportunity.

As you may have seen this past week, I publicly commended Syria for the role its security forces played in intercepting weapons intended for Hezbollah. These are exactly the kinds of tangible security gains we can achieve through close cooperation with Syrian government forces.

CENTCOM will remain deeply engaged in supporting Ambassador Barrack’s efforts to realize the president’s vision of a prosperous Middle East and a stable Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors. We are heavily involved in facilitating U.S. interagency engagement with the Syrian government in Damascus, backing more than a dozen visits by U.S. officials and members of Congress since last summer.

And since I know some of you are wondering — yes, we did manage to squeeze in a few three-pointers during basketball. That’s well documented. At CENTCOM, we’re fully committed to ‘hoops diplomacy.’ It’s a new approach, and I can assure you, it works.”