President Al-Assad meets with participants in the Syrian-Russian youth forum

Damascus, (ST) – President Bashar Al-Assad met with the participants in the Syrian-Russian youth forum.

Addressing the Participants, President Al-Assad said that Syria and Russia adhere to their principles and dignity, and today the two countries are facing the same enemies and the same lies.

“Neo-Nazis in Ukraine attack civilians and Russia is accused of this, and what happened in Syria was exactly the same”, the president added, pointing out that if President Putin had not taken the decision to fight terrorism in Syria; the number of terrorists would have increased in Russia.

“Some ask why President Putin sent planes to Syria. The answer: He was protecting Russia and its people first and foremost”, the president clarified.

President Al-Assad told the Russian participants: “In every society, there should be historical and national symbols. You must be proud of your history. No one has the right to attack historical symbols.”

He said that the West is hostile to Russia not because of Ukraine or because it was a communist country, but because it has been transforming from a weak country to a strong one, and the West does not accept strong countries.

The young people participating in the dialogue presented opinions about Syrian and Russian experiences in confronting terrorism and extremism, uni-polar politics, media fabrications. They also talked about the role of Syrian-Russian youth in strengthening cooperation between the two countries, fortifying the family and society, and adhering to values and identity.

 Raghda Sawas