Minister Omran al-Zoubi’s Recent Visit to Russia

Syria’s Information Minister, Omran al-Zoubi’s recent visit to Russia and the talks held with Russian officials have yielded positive results in bolstering of the firm standing relations of friendship between Syria and Russia. Actually, Minister al-Zoubi underlined, on different occasions during the visit, some important principles and facts regarding the ongoing crisis in Syria as well as regarding Syria’s political orientations and aspirations.

Among  the underlined was that Syria, a secular Country, has been the target for extremism and terrorism, where a war is being waged by  ignorant takfiri thinking fighting, under the name of Islam, against present secularism and  Islamic-Christian moderation. “Syria is now paying the price for this secularism and religious diversity,” underlined Minister al-Zoubi.

Syria is facing foreign-backed terrorists and mercenaries coming from 29 countries, causing tragic events and killing innocent citizens, outlined the Minister, stressing that the Armed terrorist groups in Syria have become a US political and military tool as they keep seeking to undermine Syria via the Iraqi and Lebanese gates or by using direct tools like Israel and that successive US administrations realize well that Syria is not and will not be the ground for implementing the U.S policies.

 Syria has some documents proving that American officers are training and providing all kinds of assistance to terrorists and mercenaries of al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, underlined the minister, pointing out that the structure  of the armed opposition in Syria consists mainly from  foreign mercenaries who infiltrated into Syria, not only from neighboring countries, but also from scores of EU countries like Britain, Belgium, Australia, France and others. Unfortunately, major European countries, including France and Britain are involved in Syria events, where their intelligence units are working on the ground since the beginning of the crisis.

Minister al-Zoubi, however, reiterated that despite all pain, suffering  and sadness, the Syrian Arab Army, supported by the people and peace-loving parties, will protect the Syrian land and defend the state sovereignty as the crisis would  definitely come to an end, thanks to the awareness of the Syrian people and the support of the Russian people and leadership.

Another fact underscored by Minister al-Zoubi is that though the tools of the conflict in the world have been changed, the American goals haven’t, and that Moscow and Damascus will continue to be a US target, not only because of their distinguished historical relations, but because they represent an exceptional case in terms of political work and relations between people and states. Syria and Russia  have to defend their common interests and as the crisis is to be over, Syria and Russia, whose support is indeed a dire need,  would work in partnership as to rebuild and rehabilitate Syria’s all sectors.

The Syrian Government has been the first to call for internal political dialogue since May, 2011. However, dialogue should be among the Syrians alone away from any terrorist groups or the countries which seek interference in Syria’s affairs, reiterated the Minister of Information, citing the political program outlined  by H.E. President  Bashar Al-Assad on January 6th, 2013 as an integrated political, social, economic and humanitarian plan to solve the crisis in Syria, but the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are hindering its implementation and blocking launching dialogue with the “opposition”, which  has no political program, but only calls for “toppling the regime” as to undermine and weaken the Syrian State.

Minister al-Zoubi pointed out that the Syrian State is never to use chemical weapons, if they exist, against its own people, nor even against Israel- stockpiling hundreds of nukes- and that the US and Western hysteria to this effect is because of the Syrian Arab Army success in eliminating  terrorists who came from 29 countries with 5,000 gunmen from Yemen alone

Further, the minister declared that Syria’s desire and work as to  join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), founded in 2001 grouping Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,  and the grouping of the emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). Thus, it has been by all accounts a multifaceted fruitful visit by Minister al-Zoubi and up to the expectations of millions of Syrian and Russian friends and up to the standing deep-rooted historical relations between the two peace-loving countries.

Dr. Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim