Arab Writers Union honors Bashar Al-Jaafari

DAMASCUS, Oct.18, (ST)- In recognition of his struggle and political stances, and for enriching the Arab Library with intellectual literature and political and humanitarian studies, the Arab Writers Union honored Bashar Al-Jaafari on the occasion by granting him honorary membership in the Union after being named as Syria’s ambassador to Russia.

In a statement to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the head of the Arab Writers Union, Muhammad Al-Hourani, said that this honor comes within the context of the union’s initiative to honor intellectuals, thinkers and those who have patriotic stances in defending Syria in the most difficult circumstances it went trough during the war.

For his part, Bashar Al-Jaafari said that this honor is a an honor for cultural diplomacy as diplomats have become part of the cultural work. “We have combined political diplomacy with cultural one, which has proven its effectiveness, especially that the time and place are appropriate for us to invent this new type of cultural diplomatic work and we encourage that.”

Concerning the importance of this honor, the author of the book entitled “Syria and the League of Nations”, said that it is a source of personal pride and motivation to continue the national message and appreciate the work of the entire Syrian diplomacy as part of the defense of the Syrian Arab Army in the face of terrorism and thwarting the major conspiracy targeting our country.

He stressed the importance of complementing roles in the military, political, cultural and diplomatic fields to serve the nation.

In the light of the development of international political concepts, Al-Jaafari clarified that diplomacy is no longer a political act only, but it has turned into a cultural, economic, social, touristic act and so on.

He indicated that many countries prefer economic or tourism diplomacy to politics, stressing that our voices must be conveyed to the world to guarantee that we are respected in it.

The Yemeni ambassador in Damascus, Abdullah Ali Sabri, said: “When we were following up on his stances in the Security Council in those critical moments that our nation was experiencing, we used to see Syria with its glory, history, steadfastness and sacrifices. It was embodied in the words and speeches of Dr. Al-Jaafari, and as he was victorious for Syria, he was also victorious for the just causes of the nation, especially the Palestinian cause, the cause of Yemen and the Arab issues.”

Basma Qaddour