Italy Syria's head of government to refugees: "Come back!"
Following the uprising in Syria, the new head of government Mohammed al-Bashir is calling on Syrian refugees around the world to return to their homeland.
11.12.2024, 10:03
SDA
"My appeal is addressed to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has regained its pride and dignity. Come back!" said al-Bashir in an interview with the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera".
Following the end of the Assad family's decades-long rule, al-Bashir, who is initially due to remain in office until March, believes that security and stability must first be restored in all Syrian cities so that people can return to normal life. One of his most important goals would then be to help the country to recover. Returnees to Syria could play an important role in this with their experience. "We need to rebuild our country and get it back on its feet, and we need everyone's help," he said.
Al-Bashir was previously head of government in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, from where the Islamist group Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who previously went by his battle name Abu Mohammed al-Julani, launched its offensive that led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Critics' fears that the HTS could have too strong an Islamist influence on the rest of Syria were dispelled by al-Bashir.
"The wrong behavior of some Islamist groups has led many people, especially in the West, to associate Muslims with terrorism and Islam with extremism," he said. However, this is a misrepresentation. He affirmed that he wanted to guarantee the rights of all people in Syria.
When asked about foreign policy, al-Bashir said that he and his transitional government had "no problems with states, parties or sects that have distanced themselves from Assad's bloodthirsty regime". Al-Bashir did not answer the question as to whether this meant that he wanted to distance himself from Iran, Russia and Hezbollah and make peace with Israel.
Al-Bashir was tasked with forming a new Syrian government after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. According to him, his transitional government is to run the country until March.
