Assad:

Int’l Right to Self-Defense Strengthened by Syria’s Victory

TEHRAN (defapress) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his country’s success to defeat terrorism and restore security lent credibility to the international law and to the right to defend a nation’s independence and territorial integrity.

News ID: 67013

Date: 16 November 2017 - 17:00

In a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari in Damascus on Wednesday, Assad said the military victories of Syria and its allies against terrorism have contributed to consolidation of the international law and the right to defend a country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, SANA reported.

He also lashed out at certain regional and Western countries for fomenting chaos in the region and for disrupting the stability of the delicate Middle East region without considering the consequences.

For his part, the Iranian diplomat praised Syria’s success to defeat terrorist groups and ensure security, saying the victory belongs not only to Syrians, but to all those feeling duty-bound to defend their countries and independence.

Jaberi Ansari, who is in Damascus after a trip to Moscow, had a separate meeting with Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem for talks on bilateral, regional and international issues.

Syria has been fighting against various terrorist groups, most notably Daesh (ISIL), after the outbreak of a devastating civil war in 2011.

The conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured around 2 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

Earlier this month, the Syrian army declared victory against Daesh in the eastern town of Al-Bukamal, the terrorist group’s last major stronghold in the Arab country.

A series of major victories gained by the Syrian troops in recent months have virtually eliminated Daesh’s self-styled caliphate, which it proclaimed in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

Throughout more than six years of war, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.