“I think that if we are able to overcome this crisis, Syrian society will be improved from a social point of view. And Syria will be better able to play its historic role in this region. This role, open to the public, will influence other nations, because it is a single region, the same people with similar traditions. We influence each other as Arab states, as Islamic countries. In this regard, Syria should have a very important role [to play].”
“We see two main points that could lead to tangible results in protecting the country: the first is the fight against terrorism, and that is an axiom, the second is the political work with an aim of stopping what is happening in Syria. This includes political negotiations, on the one hand, and the negotiations with the militants, who want to return to the bosom of the state and a normal life. In this dimension, we have achieved a lot in the past two years,” Assad said.
The Syrian president added that his country has been living in a situation for several years already when ordinary Syrian people or soldiers die and get injured every hour, every day.
“A major issue in these difficult circumstances remains: where can a person draw strength to endure this pressure? What I am speaking, first and foremost, about is that if you occupy an important post, then your real strength, especially spiritual and physical, comes, primarily, from the people. However, we, as Syrians, both as government officials and citizens, in fact, summon strength from the families of the deceased, the injured in Syria, because they paid the highest price, but at the same time, they are constantly saying they do this for the sake of the homeland. Undoubtedly, it is exactly the spiritual power of these families that allows you to be able to work and continue to act to settle these issues,” Assad said.
