Russia is welcome to assist the Syrian people in rebuilding their country as long as Syria's national interests are protected.
Image: Annette Riedl / DPA / AFP
Russia is welcome to assist the Syrian people in rebuilding their country as long as Syria's national interests are protected, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in the Suwayda province, has told Sputnik.
"Syria's interests come first, the interests of the Syrian people have priority. We call for cooperation with all countries around the world, international organisations and institutions, in the interest of our country... As for Russia, we see no difference between countries, it can help the people and the homeland," he said in an interview out on Monday.
Damascus had strained or even hostile relations with neighboring countries under the previous government, which led to an economic blockade and caused the national economy to deteriorate, al-Hajari said. He expressed hope that Syria's ties with Arab nations and the world would improve as soon as peace was restored.
"Syria is a single entity and all its provinces are interconnected, its natural resources are distributed throughout its territory, which implies the need for cooperation, mutual assistance and harmony," al-Hajari also said, commenting on the need to preserve Syria's territorial integrity.
Syria's armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, 2024. Syrian President Bashar Assad stepped down after negotiations with opposition and left Syria for Russia, where he was granted asylum. Mohammed al-Bashir, who ran an Idlib-based administration formed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, was named interim prime minister on December 10. He announced that an interim government had been formed and would remain in place until March 2025.
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