Assad: Syrian Refugees’ Return Hindered by Terrorism-supporting Countries

By Staff

With the participation of Arab and international delegations, the International Conference on Return of Refugees kicked off in the Syrian capital city of Damascus on Wednesday.

Inaugurating the event, Syrian President Bashar Assad delivered a speech via video link, slamming some countries in the West that are abusing Syrian refugees and have political goals behind this action.

“Those countries are banning refugees from returning home via the carrot and stick policy,” the Syrian president stated, noting that his government “is working hard to return every Syrian refugee, but there are many obstacles.”

“The vast majority of Syrians abroad want to return home, and they refuse the policies of the states supporting terrorism in Syria,” Assad underscored.

“Some European countries and the United States sought to displace the Syrians via supporting terrorism in their country,” he pointed.

“Those countries mobilized Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] in 2014 to prevent Syria from maintaining stability,” the Syrian head of state said.

He however noted that “the government's institutions have made headways in offering facilitation and guarantees for the return of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.”