French President Macron must convince Moscow of the benefits of a political solution if Paris hopes to have any luck in settling the Syrian crisis, Michel Abu Najm writes for Saudi-owned newspaper
Souriatna chronicles the 150-year history of Chechen migration to northern Syria from the time of Hadji Murad through Ottoman, French and Baathist rule
Riad Hijab warns newly elected president of Assad regime’s “preparations for an escalatory military campaign,” opposition media office reports
Joint online project aims to answer top five questions about the refugee crisis, opposition website explains
Education directorate says teaching Russian will help bolster the educational system due to the language’s prominence on the internet, loyalist newspaper Al-Watan writes
Damascus strongly rejects claims by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault connecting the Assad regime to the chemical attack in Idleb’s countryside on April 4, government media writes
Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat explains that many opposition factions are still deciding whether to participate in the talks in the Kazakh capital, claiming that some parties believe Russia isn’t pulling its weight in enforcing the cease-fire deal
It will be up to the armies of Syria, Iraq and Russia to defend the interests of their people by preventing the breakup of Middle Eastern geography for benefit of Western energy interests, Ali Hashem writes for pro-regime Al-Watan
Footage on social media shows activists in the southern city of Suweida waving the flag of independence, an opposition symbol, while demanding freedom from the rule of the Assad regime, opposition website Zaman al-Wasl reports
In a special op-ed for The Syrian Observer, the coordinator-general of the High Negotiations Committee explains that untying the Syrian knot will require isolating external influence on the Syrian scene, a transition with the establishment of a new political system, and the firm application of international law in order to hold war criminals to account
President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to Croatian newspaper Vecernji List published Thursday, in which he reflects on six years of conflict, the negotiation process and the fight against terrorism. The following is the full text as published by government news agency SANA
As the battle for Raqqa city draws closer, a rebel spokesperson laments Kurdish domination of upcoming operations, also predicting that American forces will remain in Raqqa for years at the airbase they seized from ISIS last week, Alsouria Net writes
According to an investigative report by NDR and Zaman al-Wasl, German citizens have been on the Syrian regime’s watch list for decades, with instructions in place to bar them from entry into Syria or detention when inside Syria
This charade called Moscow and Cairo’s platforms is only an accessory to the Syrian regime
The recent repositioning of Paris vis-à-vis the Syrian crisis toward viewing the regime as a solution to an end of terrorism comes as right-wing movements across the globe dominate the political stage
The latest Astana talks mark a regression from the first round as the US returns to the scene, spurring a series of regional and international developments which undermine earlier achievements
A French delegation visiting Syria addressed Syrian students on the importance of France restoring cultural ties with Syria, official state media reports
Syrian opposition leader reiterates that the upcoming round of Geneva talks should focus on the issue of political transition in Syria
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad denied Amnesty reports on mass killing in a Syrian prison and said President Donald Trump’s ban on Syrians targeted terrorists, not the Syrian people. Below is the full interview he gave to French TF1 TV and EUROPE 1 Radio as appeared in SANA, the Syrian news agency
President Assad told Belgian media that statements made by Trump are promising regarding the priority of fighting terrorists, and mainly ISIS. Below is the full text as appeared on SANA:
