Syrian Foreign minister Fayssal Mekdad has appreciated Indian help to his nation amid the decade-long disaster it has been dealing with. In an unique interview with WION correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Mekdad stated: “You know at a time humanity doesn’t mean anything for western power, we found all human noble concepts prevailing in Indian foreign policy. It’s not only Syria but any country suffering.”

The overseas minister is on an India go to and held talks with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday. New Delhi has supplied Lines of Credit value USD 280 million to Syria for constructing an influence plant and a metal plant within the nation. He additionally slammed Türkiye’s involvement in his nation, asking Ankara to withdraw from “Syria, and to stop its support to terrorist groups.”

The remarks come whilst Türkiye launched air raids on Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria days after Istanbul noticed a terror assault. He additionally made remarks on Iran protests, his nation’s help to Russia within the Ukraine battle and ties with Israel. Here is the total interview:

WION: Could you discuss in regards to the state of affairs in Syria?

Fayssal Mekdad: Syria handed by way of a really troublesome time, terrorists from many nations on this planet, notably from western nations invaded the nation by way of neighbouring states like Turkey. Within the framework of the Arab spring, they believed they may affect regime change in Syria. They believed it might take a day, two days, three days or ten days to perform, much like what occurred in different Arab nations. However, the state of affairs in Syria was not like that. Syrians cherished their homeland, they believed that President Bashar Al Assad was doing a very good job, and what Western nations considered Syria collapsed. This resulted in compelled immigration from the nation. The authorities has by no means ever advised folks to go away the nation. There was stress from terrorist teams which demolished the nation’s infrastructure, which compelled folks to flee, which created refugees. As I advised you, we have now proof that the camps have been constructed on the Syrian-Turkish border prematurely for the anticipated refugees as a result of they needed to accentuate the state of affairs so that folks would flee.

WION: Who had the intention?

Fayssal Mekdad: The terrorist teams and neighbouring nations who have been supporting these actions.

WION: Can you record the nations?

Fayssal Mekdad: The US, European nations, and Turkiye amongst others. I do not need to return 12 years now as a result of we try our greatest to make the relation with all our neighbours as regular as potential and permit the individuals who left the nation by the drive of the terrorist teams to return again.

Now of day, you realize who’s stopping them to return again, it’s the western nations and some worldwide organisations who’re saying on a regular basis, the time shouldn’t be ripe for the refugees to return to the nation. We in Syria, are telling refugees to return residence as a result of they arrive residence, they arrive to their property, they usually come residence to their nation. No single particular person shouldn’t be allowed to return again, however in fact, after the devastation you referred to, folks ought to refer again to the state of affairs that existed earlier than they left.

Before they left, that they had homes, property, land, work and all the things. With the damaging exercise of terrorist teams, some folks might haven’t any residence, some may have restore, and different folks whose homes weren’t impacted can come again. We promise these folks, when you come again, if the federal government may also help, we will assist restore the home. What western nations are saying is out of thoughts as a result of they need to hold this difficulty of Syrian refugees as a dangling sword that can stop folks from going again to normalise the state of affairs. 

WION: Is the civil battle over? Is Syria protected for refugees to return?

Fayssal Mekdad: There has by no means been a civil battle in Syria. We have to begin from that time. It was a terrorist battle towards Syria. The Syrian folks weren’t combating one another. Nobody fought towards neighbours, towards neighbouring villages or cities. It was a terrorist battle towards all Syrians. Syrians who left the nation have been compelled to take action. Either you permit otherwise you have been killed.

Do you realize the variety of terrorists, it reached 400,000 terrorists coming from totally different nations mobilised by cash, propaganda help and all the things. Then we have now to battle. Our pals have been prepared to assist us, our Russian pals, our Iranian pals and otherwise our Indian pals. All of them have rallied to beat this troublesome terrorist battle towards the nation. Finally, nearly all of the territories of Syria are within the fingers of the federal government and persons are coming again. Every day we have now many individuals getting back from Jordon, Lebanon and Turkey.

WION: What is the state of affairs now, how regular is the state of affairs? Please give particulars as to who’s combating who now,  a number of components in your territory together with overseas components. 

Fayssal Mekdad: Normalcy is returning again to the nation. Most of Syria is in a standard state. People are rebuilding, persons are rising merchandise, and persons are getting again to regular. We should look at the affect of unilateral coercive measures, and unilateral sanctions imposed on different nations by the US. This means if an Indian nation needs to assist Syria will probably be beneath sanctions.

Now, the state of affairs is coming to regular besides for 2 elements. In the North, Turkey along with Daesh, Jabhat al-Nusra are occupying the northern a part of the nation. Discussions now on how Turkey ought to withdraw from this a part of the nation. When it involves Daesh and Nusra we’re able to take to our personal duty. We do not desire a full large-scale battle between Syria and Turkey, as a result of it will by no means assist Syria or Turkey. We are looking for a means out. No one can anticipate what would be the motion of the Turkish authorities. The Turkish authorities is a Muslim Brotherhood authorities, that’s the reason they help Daesh, they help the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and that’s the reason they help Jabhat Al Nusra. Let’s hope that on the finish of the sport, Turkey will perceive that will probably be in its curiosity to withdraw from Syria, and to cease its help of terrorist teams. This is essential as a result of any acts of terrorism will instantly be influencing the state of affairs inside Turkey. We are two neighbouring nations. Once you’ve terrorists in Syria, this implies at a sure time they are going to return, the birds will return to roost. Turkey has began to endure the implications of the coverage of supporting terrorism.

In the northeast, it is the US occupying that a part of Syria, supporting terrorist teams, and separatist teams dominating. This is one of the best place in Syria for the manufacturing of oil, agriculture, cotton, and wheat, it’s the meals basket of Syria. The US is controlling that half, in a approach to weaken Syria or to lengthen the disaster so that allows its personal brokers to be lively there. It will divert the eye of Syria and Syrians from the primary challenges they need to face. 

WION: Could you please point out the variety of nations these terrorists got here from?

Fayssal Mekdad: Terrorists got here from a number of nations, a few of them have been despatched by their very own governments or financed by western authorities or armed by western governments and by these nations within the area. They have been pondering these terrorist actions will finish in a single week, or two weeks as occurred in some Arab nations. But then they lastly came upon that Syrian folks help their very own authorities. They are able to sacrifice to help their very own authorities. In addition, we acquired assist from allies and pals from the worldwide neighborhood. Those nations who do not help terrorism. In truth, I can not declare all of the nations have been supporting these terrorists. It is claimed terrorists got here from 80-90 nations of the world to Syria. Finally, they’re now in a camp managed by pro-American forces, that camp is within the northeast. It has greater than 6,800 terrorists with households concentrated within the camps. You can think about the magnitude of terrorist motion organized towards the nation, to contribute to its failure, and collapse. They devasted all the things, electrical energy, and agriculture. The US is smuggling our personal oil within the half it occupies. The space is stuffed with oil. It is smuggled into neighbouring nations, Turkiye and exported. Imagine what they’re doing.  In Damascus itself, we have now solely electrical energy for 2 hours and 4 hours of minimize and generally electrical energy would not come. Before 2010, your complete Syria was getting energy 24 hours a day, now it is solely two hours. In some locations, we do not have electrical energy in any respect.

That is why we want assist from our pals, India, Russia from all these nations who look to assist others and get rid of the menace of terrorism which will unfold out of Syria. If they reach Syria, they are going to be right here in India, within the neighbouring nations. Daesh was in Iraq, Jordan and different nations.

WION: What is the standing of Deash, the Islamic state in your nation?

Fayssal Mekdad: They nonetheless have some components. They are manipulated by the US, and a few European nations. Sometimes they provide them sufficient energy that they’ll function in Syria, or they ship them to different nations. They took these Daesh components to Afghanistan, taking them to some African nations the place they need to battle the wars of Americans, and the French amongst others. They are spreading in all places on the instruction of the United States and western nations who declare they’re towards terrorism however in truth, they’ve beefed up all of the terrorist actions with the intention to name for a regime change in Syria. I do not need to go into an evaluation of why they focused Syria. In truth, they didn’t goal Syria solely. Egypt was the primary goal, adopted by Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, and Algeria. In Sudan, the battle continues to be there. You can think about how devasting these western nations’ insurance policies have been on totally different Arab nations.

WION: What would be the destiny of the overseas nationals, ISIS kin/girls who’ve been awaiting acceptance from the varied nations?

Fayssal Mekdad: We are promising these overseas terrorists mustn’t come alive from Syria. We did our greatest, however some components are nonetheless current with the help of the US, so we need to work along with all peace-loving nations. Those nations who’re lively within the battle towards terrorism to get rid of all of them. As I stated earlier than, the US was sending them all around the world, for regime change or to place political stress. 

WION: How do you view the Arab Spring?

Fayssal Mekdad: It was something however a spring. The spring season in India and Syria is probably the most stunning season. But this was winter, autumn. It is something however spring. As I stated, it was destruction, a battle that eradicated a whole bunch of individuals, harmless folks. People who have been uprooted from their houses and compelled to go away for different nations, go to sea. Turkey is manipulating the problem of refugees to threaten Europe. If you do not give us 5-10 billion {dollars} a 12 months, then we’ll open the gates for these refugees to go to Europe and annually, Europe is being blackmailed into paying the Turkish authorities large quantities of cash in order that they do not use these Syrian refugees to go to European nations. Imagine how a lot manipulation has been accomplished. 

WION: How do you see the continuing protests in Iran?

Fayssal Mekdad: Let me be frank, we do not intervene in different nations, I used to be in Tehran two weeks in the past. The state of affairs is calming down. But I’ve to let you know with all honesty, all of the techniques being adopted and brought ahead by the terrorist teams in Syria are occurring in the identical means in Tehran. Propaganda, social media, writing on partitions, accusing the federal government of killing folks.

In Syria we had a few of these protestors towards the federal government killing harmless civilians. This was to impress confrontation between the federal government, and police and provides the impression that the federal government is killing its personal folks. This is completely not solely loopy however out of thoughts. Only people who find themselves irresponsible can use this pretext to assault one other nation. The identical factor is going on in Iran, and the Iranian authorities is coping with it because it should. An enormous a part of the identical tactic was adopted in Syria towards the federal government.

WION: Can Syria be the balancing energy between the Arab world and Iran?

Fayssal Mekdad: This has been our want, in fact, Syria is a pan-Arab believer, we imagine in Arab unity. One day Iran’s revolution began a brand new web page for cooperation with the Arabs for the liberation of the occupied territories, and the following Iran began to face issues. Those proving developments in Iran is to alter the coverage of Iran from being the nation that helps the rights of the Palestinian folks. Western nations pressuring Iran to alter coverage on Israel and Palestine. That is why a lot hate by Israel, west towards Iran. We need one of the best relations between Iran and the Arab nations. We do not discover justification for why some Arab nations are discovering menace from Iran, not from Israel. We try to persuade on a regular basis that our Arab brothers’ principal hazard is coming occupation of Palestine by Israel, not Iran which is attempting to assist Arabs liberate territories from the Syrian Golan or construct an unbiased Palestinian state. We discovered solely the need of building fruitful cooperation between Iran and Arab nations. If variations come up Syria is able to intervene. We do not discover a justification for the battle between Iran and Arab nations.

WION: You have been supporting Russia amid the battle with Ukraine. What is the important thing motive for that and when do you see a decision to the battle? 

Fayssal Mekdad: We have taken our stance in supporting Russia, you’re appropriate, we help Russia within the battle. First, the west superior in direction of occupying totally different nations, after the collapse of the soviet union. When NATO was not happy with this achievement, they needed to deliver all of their missiles into the doorways of Moscow. This philosophy justifies any motion by Russia. Not to say any rights for Russia to behave in favour of Russian folks contained in the Donbas space.

The double requirements of Europeans and Russians. Israel has been occupying our territory for 70 years, and till this minute west has been supporting Israeli occupation, they don’t seem to be serving to in a peaceable settlement. How can we have now confidence in them when they’re enjoying a double commonplace coverage? They are towards Russia however help it in Israel. We need to be logical within the evaluation of the worldwide state of affairs.

Russia has all the time supported the rights of the Palestinian folks, supported the rights of the Syrian authorities to revive and liberate the occupied Syrian Golan and assist Arab nations to result in technological development. Russia has helped us each time whereas the west has prompted the so-called devasting Arab spring in our nations. It is pure when you impacted by western nations, it’s pure to help the politics and the understanding of Russia. We need to imagine in a multipolar system. The US and Western Europe can not impose their hegemony and management. By planning to make use of Ukraine towards Russia, and contribute to the collapse of the Russian Federation, the hegemony of the US in worldwide politics shall be additional deepened. It shall be their final effort to regulate the world, and we’re not for that. We are for a multipolar system the place India is current, China, Russia is there, the place Africa is there, and Latin America is there. We can not tolerate a unipolar system which culminates in absolute hegemony by the US and its designs on all elements of the world. This is our political and ideological means of understating the developments in Ukraine.

WION: Are the Russians concerned in supporting you, are they on the bottom?

Fayssal Mekdad: We have numerous pals, for instance, India would not have a drive. We respect the place of India. On the bottom we have now Russians serving to us. We have Iranian specialists, not the military serving to our forces as a result of the US and Turkey mobilised nations towards Syria. It is pure to have a receptive view of any assist coming from Russian or Indian pals. The US is attempting to present the impression that Syria is remoted, however Syria shouldn’t be remoted. Almost all Arab nations with few exceptions of 1 or two have embassies in Damascus. We have embassies in quite a lot of European nations. Our embassies in Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Rome, Athens, and Budapest are operational. In Asia, our embassies weren’t impacted. We have an Indian embassy in Damascus. The Syrian embassy in Delhi is functioning. We have embassies in Indonesia, Malaysia, and China.

WION: Where do you see ties with Israel when a number of Arab nations have formalized ties with the nation?

Fayssal Mekdad: We do not need to deepen the division between Syria and Arab nations. We need to work the place we will perceive one another. We do not create extra battle however a state of affairs by which Arab- Arab ties grow to be higher. Rather than deepening the division. At the current Arab summit in Algeria, we urged them to not make Syria a difficulty of contraction between Arab nations. The most essential factor is to make one of the best relations with all Arab nations. 

WION: But ties with Israel…

Fayssal Mekdad: They occupy our territories. If they imagine in simply and complete peace, Syria shall be prepared to determine complete peace. There won’t ever be peace so long as Israel occupies the Syrian Golan and denies Palestinian rights. We began a peace course of within the Nineteen Nineties, and it turned very clear, Israel needs peace and land which is unattainable to just accept. Despite our greatest efforts to determine peace, Israel has rejected all our efforts with full help from the US and Europe. 

WION: You are right here in Delhi, how have been your conversations with the Indian facet?

Fayssal Mekdad: Even in the course of the hardest instances of the Syrian battle, 2013, 2014, and 2015, when even we within the overseas ministry in Damascus have been dealing with rocket hearth by terror teams, the Indian embassy didn’t hesitate to function because it does. During these troublesome instances, some Syrian delegations got here to Delhi and a delegation from Delhi got here to Damascus.

India has nice folks and has an accurate smart evaluation of the state of affairs. It takes us 4 hours to journey from Damascus to Delhi, so you’ll be able to perceive the proximity of time and area. Whatever is harmful for Syria is harmful for India. We are each secular nations, we imagine in democratic ideas and are decided that sturdy ties of civilisation and democracy, exchanges go millennia in time. Relations existed deep in historical past and are going deeper and deeper every single day. Syria’s folks have an excessive amount of respect for Indians, and wherever I’m going, Indians welcome us. We need to strengthen the battle towards terror and cooperate on the institution of a multipolar system, we imagine India ought to be a everlasting member of the UNSC, and we imagine India has to play its function, it is an ideal nation with nice folks. We solely discovered understanding with the Indian sides,  I do not discover something totally different. We recognize the humanitarian contribution of India. More than half tonne of Rice was despatched by India to Syria two years in the past when Syrian didn’t discover meals, or rice to eat. This is the connection between these two sisterly nations. 

WION: Can we count on a high-level go to from India and a higher-level go to from Syria to Delhi?

Fayssal Mekdad: Don’t be stunned to seek out all that, at present I’m right here, tomorrow I do not who shall be in Damascus. We have agreed that these visits shall be primarily based on cultural background, financial cooperation, cooperation on the UN, and the battle towards terrorism. We are an Asian nation, you name us western Asian, however right here is the center of Asia. The western wing can not perform with out the center, the center is India. We are collectively and agreed to extend financial cooperation. We are having fun with nice help in rebuilding the nation after the devastation by terrorists. Inditaking on the duty of rebuilding Syria. Scholarships are being given by India to rebuild our training system and rebuilt the destroyed colleges and different amenities and work collectively. Both of us imagine in the identical precept, in the identical beliefs. 

WION: India has supplied Lines of Credit value USD 280 million to Syria for constructing an influence plant and a metal plant within the nation. Any particulars?

Fayssal Mekdad: You know at a time humanity does not imply something to western energy, we discovered all human noble ideas prevailing in Indian overseas coverage. It’s not solely Syria however any nation struggling. I can’t record the areas by which India helps Syria, however I can let you know instantly that India has spared no effort to help Syria at this troublesome time and transfer on with the financial and cultural ties which have bonded Syria and India.

WION: How do you see India’s function within the bigger west Asian area?

Fayssal Mekdad: India has all the time expressed its political stance very clearly. It is a member of the safety council and members of varied UN organs. We have discovered Indian help for our and different simply causes. India shouldn’t be a rustic that hesitates when the query involves serving to folks get free, get democratic and get unbiased. We welcome the function performed by India. 

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