North Korea's Kim Congratulates Syria's Assad on Ba'ath Party Anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has congratulated Syrian President Bashar Assad on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the country’s ruling Arab Socialist Ba’ath party, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

In his message Kim said that over the past 70 years the Ba’ath party “has achieved great successes in the creation of an independent and prosperous country and ensuring regional peace and security.”

He added that under the leadership of President Assad, the Ba’ath party “is resolutely resisting foreign and domestic enemies in the ongoing fight for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.”

Kim Jong-un pledged “continued and unwavering support for and solidarity with the Ba’ath party and the Syrian people. He also voiced confidence that “the relations of friendship and cooperation between the Korean Workers’ Party and the Ba’ath party, between the peoples of our two countries, forged in their joint struggle against imperialism, will only get stronger and stronger.”

Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war, with government forces fighting against numerous opposition and terrorist groups, including al-Nusra Front and Daesh, banned in many countries, including Russia.

According to the UN data, nearly 6.3 million Syrians have been displaced and 4.9 million people, mostly women and children, have been forced to seek refuge since the start of the violent conflict almost six years ago.

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