President Al-Assad: Russia’s strength restores the lost international balance…Syria will resist any Turkish invasion 

President Bashar Al-Assad has stressed that Russia is facing a war that can’t be associated with NATO expansion; rather, it is an ongoing war that started even before communism and the First World War (WWI). President Al-Assad has also reiterated that Russia’s strength today constitutes a restoration of the lost international balance.

In an interview with “Russia Today”, to be broadcast at 8 p.m. this evening, President Al-Assad said that “Russia is Syria’s ally and it is facing a war that I don’t link to NATO expansion as others think. This war never stopped even before communism and the First World War. It is an ongoing war… and here, Russia’s role is basic as part of the international balance.”

“We can look at Russia from two perspectives, the first is as an ally, whose victory in a battle and whose political position becomes stronger in the international arena, will serve our interest. The second is represented in Russia’s strength which, today, constitutes a restoration of the lost international balance even if it is a partial restoration,” President Al-Assad clarified.

“This hoped-for balance will reflect on small countries in the first place, including Syria. This is minimally the reason, without getting into other legal details. I am talking from a strategic point of view”.

During the interview, President Al-Assad talked about the Turkish invasion of Syrian territories, stressing that Syria will resist any Turkish invasion.

“If there is an invasion, there will be popular resistance in the first stage…of course in the areas where the Syrian Arab Army is positioned, as the Syrian army doesn’t have positions in all Syrian areas. When military conditions allow direct confrontation we will do that,” President Al-Assad said.

“Two and a half years ago, a confrontation took place between the Syrian army and the Turkish army, during which the Syrian army managed to destroy some Turkish targets which infiltrated into Syrian territory…The situation, will be the same if military capabilities allow that. Apart from that, there will be popular resistance,” he added.

Hamda Mustafa