Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said that despite the crisis and foreign conspiracies, Syria believes deeply in Arabism.
Meeting professors and students from Damascus University on Sunday, Muallem said the visit of the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, to Damascus on Saturday is another step towards breaking the siege imposed on Syria.
On the situation in the northeastern part of Syria, the Minister said that no-one in Syria accepts any talk of independent or federal entities, and that the state’s decision is to restore sovereignty over every inch of Syria.
He underlined the importance of convening the Syrian-Russian Joint Economic Committee in Damascus last week, as such meetings establish a basis for economic, cultural and social strategic partnerships, to match the political and military relations with Russia.
Muallem noted that the countries that have warred and conspired against Syria are paying the price of their policies, as they are suffering from high unemployment, inflation, and political and social divisions.
“All those who conspired against Syria, under the leadership of the US, will not be in a comfortable position next year, while our situation in Syria is improving day by day,” he added.
On the situation in Idleb, Muallem said that the Syrian leadership’s priority is liberating the province from terrorism, and that there is constant coordination with Russia in that regard, while the Turkish President and terrorists in the area are not abiding by the Sochi agreement.
He noted that the Syrian leadership prefers to pursue political dialogue, if it can rid Idleb of terrorism, and in the end the decision is to liberate all Syrian territories.
On forming the constitutional committee, the Minister said that it’s too early to talk about it starting its work, and that the delay in forming the committee is caused by the attempts of certain Western states to interfere in this matter, as well as Turkish obstacles.
Muallem said priority for participating in reconstruction will be given to the states that supported Syria in their fight against terrorism, and that the Ministry’s Economic Bureau is working to expand relations with Iran, Russia, China, India, and Malaysia as part of the policy of heading eastwards.
On the Syrian government’s position regarding the practices of some Kurdish militias and the Turkish aggression in northern Syria, the Minister said that Syrian Kurds are part of the Syrian fabric, and the government is always willing to hold dialogue, at the same time advising everyone to avoid falling for the American delusion.
Regarding the illegal presence of foreign forces on Syrian territory, Muallem said that these states are trying to find roles in the political solution for the crisis in Syria, which isn’t going to happen, and they should end their occupation of Syrian territory.
He reiterated that the occupied Syrian Golan is part of Syria and subject to international laws, stressing the need for respecting the decisions that consider the annexation of the Golan to be null and void.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
