Syria is making tremendous efforts for the return of the refugees. It invites them to return to their homeland unconditionally and they do not need an invitation in the first place, this homeland is for them all, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Faisal Mekdad said, adding that the Syrian state does all it can with the support of its friends for this return to be voluntary and safe.
Mekdad’s remarks came in a statement to journalists at the Conferences Palace in Damascus following a dialogue session on the media war on Syria within the program of the Syrian-Russian Joint Meeting.
He added that the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria hinder the return of refugees and the Western states don’t want them to return to use them to exert political pressure on Syria.
“These take advantage of the pain felt by every Syrian refugee outside his homeland to serve their political purposes,” Mekdad said.
Regarding the Arab move towards Syria, Mekdad said “these moves are no longer a secret, and we encourage the rest of the Arab countries to do their duty towards Syria, which has defended all Arabs in the fight against terrorism and extremism.”
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He expressed hope that the Arab countries will make the right choice and work towards restoring the unity of Arab ranks and making a unified effort to restore the usurped rights of our nation because it is in the interest of all.
The Foreign Minister noted that some countries have obstructed any political progress after they failed to undermine Syria through terrorism and military action.
Regarding dialogue with the SDF militia, the foreign minister said: “We are in dialogue with all our people, and the evidence is the recent developments in Daraa and the very positive developments in Deir-ez-Zor… The Syrian state welcomes whoever wants to return to it.”
Mekdad indicated that the Syrian people are suffering from the smuggling of oil out of Syria illegally, under American protection, and through armed militias that will pay the price for these stances.
Abdollahian
On a different note, Mekdad, made a phone call with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, during which he discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to develop them.
The pair discussed, during the call, economic and tourism cooperation between the two countries, in addition to the developments in the region and the regional and international issues of common interest.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
