The President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Hadi al-Bahra, welcomed a delegation from the French Foreign Ministry, including Raphaëlle Samama, the French Foreign Ministry’s Syria portfolio officer in Paris, and Amal Bin Houkouk, the political affairs officer at the French Consulate in Istanbul. Discussions focused on the latest developments in Syria, particularly the ongoing crimes committed by the Assad regime and its allies against civilians in the liberated areas, which continue to destabilize those regions.
Al-Bahra emphasized the necessity of halting and deterring these attacks by securing the areas from which they originate, ensuring the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of displaced individuals to their towns, villages, and cities, and advancing the political process obstructed by the regime and its supporters. He added that recent battles launched two days ago in western Aleppo aim primarily to protect civilians and deter aggression.
Al-Bahra stressed the importance of achieving stability across Syria and ending the crimes perpetrated by the Assad regime and its backers against civilians, which have persisted for 13 years, as documented periodically by human rights organizations.
He called for creating the conditions necessary to activate the political process and implement UN resolutions on Syria, particularly the Geneva Communiqué of 2012 and Resolutions 2118 and 2254. He reaffirmed that reaching a just political solution is the only path to sustainable resolution in Syria and to restoring security and stability in Syria and the broader region.
Al-Bahra noted that achieving political transition is the sole means to persuade displaced Syrians to return to their homes and original residences, and it would provide the political conditions needed for conducting free and fair elections under UN supervision.
Following this meeting, the SOC’s Department of Foreign Relations held a separate session with the French Foreign Ministry delegation, attended by Vice Presidents Abdel Majeed Barakat and Dima Moussa, Coordinator of the Foreign Relations Department Abdel Ahad Steifo, and Political Committee member Salim Al-Khatib.
Barakat highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in the liberated areas and stressed the importance of countries fulfilling their commitments to civilians, especially in the health, education, and service sectors. He underscored the urgency of such support with the onset of winter and called for launching new projects to bolster residents’ resilience and help them remain in their regions.
Barakat also discussed France’s critical role within the European Union, particularly in the face of some countries’ attempts to normalize relations with the Assad regime. He emphasized the need to adhere to the EU’s three no’s policy towards the regime until genuine and irreversible progress is achieved in the political process.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
