Haytham Rahmeh, the Secretary-General of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), conveyed his gratitude to Ukraine for its unwavering political support for the Syrian Revolution. He expressed the full solidarity of the Syrian people with Ukraine and its citizens who are facing the brutal Russian invasion. Rahmeh praised the recent stance of the Ukrainian President, who acknowledged the world’s failure to unite around the Syrian tragedy and admitted it as a mistake.
Emphasizing the need for accountability, Rahmeh called for holding the Assad regime, Russia, and Iranian militias responsible for their war crimes. He urged against separating the crimes committed by Russia in both Ukraine and Syria, as internationally prohibited weapons were used against innocent civilians in both cases, aided by militias of various nationalities.
Rahmeh warned that the international community’s failure to halt the killing machine of the Assad regime, Russia, and Iranian militias has led to further bloodshed, mass displacement, arrests, and countless human tragedies. Moreover, it has resulted in the destruction of cities, infrastructure, facilities, and service centers. The brutal treatment inflicted by Russia upon the Syrian people is now being replicated against the Ukrainian people, as Ukrainian cities are subjected to the same scorched earth policy that Syria endured.
He emphasized the urgent need for the international community to decisively deter Russia and its allies, as failing to do so could lead to continued crimes and the potential outbreak of new conflicts in different regions, further destabilizing and violating international peace and security.
Rahmeh called for effective action to restrain Russia in Ukraine, expel it from Syria, implement UN resolutions, and pursue a political transition in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2254. This transition would enable the Syrian people to rebuild their nation with their own hands.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
