BRASILIA, (ST)-Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch and All East for the Syriac Orthodox, head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, has stressed that Syria has been facing a terrorist takfiri war and that the western media has published fabrication, lies and misleading information about events in the country.
During his meeting on Saturday with the Brazilian President Michel Temer in Brasilia, Patriarch Aphrem II called for adopting a clear unified stance on terrorism and its supporters and urged the Brazilian government to support Syria and encourage the Brazilian companies and establishments to take part in reconstruction projects in Syria.
His Holiness arrived in the Brazilian capital on Thursday and he was welcomed at the airport by Director of the Middle East Department of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, Head of the Syrian diplomatic mission in Brazil Ghassan al-Nusair and head the Syrian community in Brazil Bassam Massouh.
During a lunch banquet held in honor of Patriarch Aphrem II and the accompanying delegation, Brazil’s deputy foreign minister affirmed that solution to the crisis in Syria should be political based on intra-Syrian dialogue without foreign intervention.
On his part, the patriarch reiterated that “what is going on in Syria is a terrorist takfiri war waged by foreign-backed terrorist organizations.”
He clarified that the Syrians have a deeply-rooted civilization, they presented a unique example of fraternity and coexistence and they are able to solve their problems without foreign meddling.
The patriarch pointed out that before the crisis the Syrians lived in peace, fraternity and prosperity n all domains of life, calling on the Brazilian government to upgrade diplomatic representation in Syria to help boost bilateral ties between the two countries.
Hamda Mustafa