Al-Assad to Syria’s Assembly: ‘We must discuss our policies’

In a speech before the People’s Assembly on the occasion of the opening of the fourth legislative term on Sunday, President Bashar Al-Assad stated that the People’s Assembly is the most crucial institution within the state, but its impact will not be significant unless development is comprehensive across all institutions, considering the strong relationship between them.

“Dear members of the People’s Assembly, I congratulate you on the start of the work of the fourth legislative term and you have gained the trust of your voters to be honored to serve them. Let us remember at the beginning that public trust is a resource that quickly depletes if it is not nourished by hard work,” Al-Assad said.

Al-Assad noted that immunity does not mean breaking the law; instead, it requires MPs to lead by example in upholding and adhering to the laws they are responsible for enacting.

“The role of the People’s Assembly is to ask about the tools when it approves a law, approves a policy, etc., and when it does not ask about how to implement it, it bears responsibility for the negligence with the executive authority,” the President said.   

Institutions will be supported, but officials will be held accountable, Al-Assad said, stressing that responsibility comes before authority for both.

“You bear the responsibility of discussing visions, based on your possession of visions, and this requires a clear methodology that prevents individual work at the expense of the institutional one,” the President went on to say.

Moreover, individual actions, even if correct, would be ineffective, he said, adding: “We must start from policies and visions in our relationship with the executive authority.”

On the Livelihoods of Syrians

On matters relating to people’s livelihood, the President said that the priority in such circumstances should not be to simply reassure and boost morale, despite its importance, but rather to honestly explain the reality, assess it, and propose possible solutions.

“Severe economic crises are a state of Immunodeficiency that is not visible to naked eye, and wars come to reveal this state of weakness and its severity, and we must search deeply into the economic policy that we have followed over decades,” Al-Assad noted.

“With the change in the region and the world and the change of rules of the economy, policy, security, culture and others, is it possible for a certain policy to be correct all the time… We have to discuss our policies,” Al-Assad added.

Al-Assad affirmed that  the government has to achieve the objectives required of it in the set policies, and this government needs tools to implement the objectives, one of which may be is the changing of policies.

“We have to determine the most appropriate and least harmful solutions for us in Syria, and every solution carries within it negatives and positives, and it is known that Syria passes through difficult circumstances, and difficult choices do not mean impossibility, but rather they mean that visions, policies and plans are built on facts,” he added.

Supporting small and medium enterprises is a top priority, as they are a vital part of the economy, President Al-Assad said. In this regard, small enterprises are the core of economic growth and not just a temporary solution; they are the backbone of the economy, Al-Assad added.

Relations with Turkey

With regards to Syria’s relations with Turkey, Al-Assad noted that the current situation is a global crisis, which compels Syria to act swiftly to address what can be fixed, despite the hurt caused by a past ally. He mentioned that Syria has engaged with initiatives to improve relations with Turkey that were proposed by multiple parties, including Russia, Iran, and Iraq.

“With every passing day without progress, damage was accumulating not only on the Syrian side but also on the Turkish side. In dealing with these initiatives, we proceeded from our principles and interests which usually do not contrast with neighboring countries if the intentions were harmless, as sovereignty and international law is consistent with the principles of all parties that are serious about restoring the relationship, and combating terrorism is a common interest for both parties,” Al-Assad said.

“Any negotiation process needs a reference to rely on in order to succeed, and the failure to reach results in previous meetings is one of the reasons for the absence of a reference…Syria constantly stresses the necessity of Turkey’s withdrawal from the lands it occupies and stop its support for terrorism,” Al-Assad noted.

“We did not occupy the territory of a neighboring country in order to withdraw, nor did we support terrorism in order to stop supporting it. The solution is to be frank and identify the location of the defect, not arrogance. How can we address a problem whose real causes we do not see, and restoring the relationship requires first removing the reasons that led to its destruction, and we will not abandon one right of our rights,” he added.

The President stated that Syria is currently focused on establishing foundational bases and principles, as their success will pave the way for future achievements. He also mentioned that the statements from Turkish officials are without merit, as Syria’s primary standard is sovereignty.