My fellow Syrians everywhere,
We are now supposed to be in the Holy Land, at the Two Holy Mosques in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj rituals, and perhaps many of you as well, or to be in a physical meeting congratulating each other on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, but unfortunately we cannot because of the global coronavirus outbreak that we ask Allah to rid us of this pandemic as soon as possible so that we can once again meet you and meet one another.
I extend my sincere congratulations to you on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. I ask Allah that these blessed days carry with them glad tidings for all Syrians, and that everyone is blessed with good and safety.
As we receive Eid and these blessed days, we must stand up united for the challenges facing us and to overcome these difficult days with minimal losses.
First of all, I address my colleagues, the doctors and nurses to thank them and express my appreciation for the immense sacrifices they are making, especially in these difficult circumstances resulting from the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in Syria and around the world.
Many health workers have already lost their lives while battling this virus in Syria and the diaspora. My fellow doctors and nurses working in hospitals inside Syria were the first to contract the virus. We stand in awe of those risking their lives and who act as our shield in the face of the pandemic.
My fellow Syrians from Qamishli in the north to Quneitra in the south, from Latakia in the west to Deir Ezzor in the east, to Idlib, Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, Dara’a, Hama, Raqqa and Hasaka, we urge you to help the doctors and nurses in their mission. Never underestimate the risks to your health and to your families and loved ones, and make sure to abide by the preventive measures.
We never trust any measures being taken by the Assad regime or the militias taking control of the east, so we advise that you show utmost caution and avoid contracting this virus.
With each passing day, this murderous regime demonstrates that it does not care about the suffering of the Syrian people and that it is the number one enemy of the Syrian people.
While the entire world is now seeking to protect its citizens from this virus, and while our institutions are working to stem its spread in the liberated areas, the Assad regime ignores the major outbreak of the virus in the areas under its control. It continues with its heinous crimes by targeting civilian areas, service institutions, and vital centers with artillery and rockets. It also continues to bring mercenaries and militias from Iran, which is now a hotbed for the virus in utter disregard for the safety of our people in Damascus and the rest of Syrian provinces.
I want to remind the world of the tens of thousands of detainees in the Assad regime’s prisons. These are our brothers and sisters who are most vulnerable to this virus as they are denied the slightest forms of healthcare. The lives of detainees must not be subjected to negotiations or used as a bargaining chip or as confidence-building measure. All UN Security Council resolutions stressed these humanitarian measures as unnegotiable.
As I address you today, we are still on the path of freedom. This barbaric regime is still controlling the fate of our country and people, causing one disaster after another.
The international community is yet to take action and assume its responsibility with regard to putting an end to the regime’s ongoing crimes.
We are aware of the size of our responsibilities. We know that whatever efforts we make, we will not live up to the size of the sacrifices that this great people is making.
We will spare no effort, and we have already started. We began to enhance the work of the institutions of the revolution. We are working hard to continue at all levels in order to mobilize efforts and raise the morale.
We will proceed down this path, whether in relation to the work of the Syrian Interim Government, the tasks of the Syrian National Army, or in terms of essential services, relief aid, medical aid, military activity, and political work.
We desperately need the efforts of all Syrians everywhere, each according to his capabilities. Why? To sail together on this boat that we chose for ourselves, the boat of the Syrian revolution towards freedom, dignity, justice and safety as well as to move and move Syria with us to a state that is based on justice and equality, to finally be freed from tyranny, to free the detainees, ensure the return of the displaced people, and hold the criminals accountable for their crimes.
We depend on Allah then on the will of the Syrian people.
Thus we started the process of communication and direct coordination with all the forces of the revolution in Syria. The lines, hearts, ears and minds will be open in all directions. We will continue cooperation with civil society leaders, activists, actors, and media workers.
The next stage requires the engagement of all Syrians, especially those inside Syria where the main revolutionary movement started in March 2011. We want to build a new organizational situation in which we mobilize efforts for the new Syria that we all dream of.
The Syrian Interim Government enjoys our full support, along with the local councils, the civil society organizations, the Assistance Coordination Unit, and the executive institutions. We want them to be able to perform their duties and to ensure that they can finance projects and services that they perform in a stable, sustainable, and secured manner.
Today we are also moving towards strengthening the capabilities of the Syrian National Army and securing international support for it and for the police force so that they operate with professionalism and efficiency, especially in light of the various threats: repeated bombings in many Syrian regions, repeated attacks by the Assad regime, terrorist organizations: the PKK, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the militias fighting alongside the regime.
We have recently took action at the international level, emphasizing the need for international action to put an end to the suffering of our people, the return of the displaced people and refugees, the release of detainees, and the need to get rid of this terrorist regime.
In the coming period we will seek to strengthen our relationship with the Syrian communities in the host countries by supporting and activating the role of our embassies and foreign missions. I urge representatives of the Syrian communities in the diaspora to support our people in Syria, especially in light of the coronavirus crisis and the current disastrous economic situation.
Moreover, we are working to develop and strengthen our regional, Arab and international relations in a balanced manner that is based on preserving the supreme Syrian national interests, whether by enhancing our role in the Arab and Islamic world or with the United Nations and European Union, and making these international positions be located in the right place in supporting the revolution of the Syrian people and protecting their aspirations.
In the political field, since the adoption of the Geneva Communique of 2012, the forces of the revolution, the Syrian Opposition Coalition and its political bodies have been reiterating their support for a political solution, the Geneva Communique of 2012, and UN resolutions, so what was the result?
The result was that the number of deaths increased from a few thousand at that time to hundreds of thousands today.
The Assad regime committed thousands of massacres using chemical weapons, barrel bombs, and rockets.
The regime brought invaders, mercenaries and militias to our country from Iran and Russia.
More than 70 sectarian militias are slaughtering children, women and the young people.
More than half of the Syrian people have become refugees and internally displaced.
Today we reaffirm that the only legal framework for a solution is the Geneva Communique and UN Security Council resolutions 2118 and 2254 as they lay the foundations for an international action that could impose on the regime a commitment to a political solution leading to a genuine political transition.
Any cosmetic, superficial political process will not achieve the desired goal nor restore security and stability in the country.
In this context, we stress that international stances need to be more serious as there is a need for new mechanisms to overcome international inaction, especially at the UN Security Council.
Our people were stuck between the rock of the lukewarm international will and the hard place of criminals that did not stop killing, detaining and displacing of innocent civilians.
Here comes the inevitable question that every Syrians ask: for how long will this silence about what is happening in Syria continue?
How long will the veto be used as an excuse and which is now being used by Russia and China as a weapon enabling the dictator and his backers to continue to kill us as well as to prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid to the displaced people! I mean what happened at the UN Security Council several days ago.
Syrian women, Syrian men,
We have a lot of work to do.
Tens of thousands of detainees who live in the worst conditions are waiting for us to act.
Hundreds of thousands of orphans and widows need our efforts, our help, and our support.
Lots of work need to be done in order to end this dark chapter of Syria’s history, the chapter that was written by the regime and its allies using iron and fire.
Our people have the will and resolve to end this chapter, a fact that they proved in more than one field.
This people who presented to the world the first alphabet in the history of mankind and who were displaced to all over the world because of the regime’s brutality.
Our people have proven how resilient, effective they are and their love for life through their creativity, skills and talents of their children and their success wherever they go.
We salute the outstanding Syrian students in Syria and all over the world. We are proud of you as you are Syria’s bright future. We share with you this creativity and success. We also salute the mothers and fathers who planted the seeds of this success in the hearts of their children.
We also salute the mothers and fathers of the fallen heroes and detainees for making these heroes whose sacrifices will enable us reach a new Syria.
We also salute detainees who fought for the sake of the freedom of their country and people, hoping that their release will be near.
We salute the displaced people and refugees who were forced out of their homes, lands, and neighborhoods. The return will be near, God willing.
We salute very soldier, rebel and worker on the soil of Syria for the freedom of this people and their emancipation from tyranny and terrorism.
Let this Eid be a new opportunity through which we work to make Syria a homeland for all of us, and for the principles of our revolution to be a beacon that guide us in time of hardship.
I renew my congratulations to you on this occasion.
I pray to Allah to help us and you for the good of Syria and the good of its people and the best of its future. Hopefully we will celebrate next Eid in Syria with its provinces, towns and villages liberated from this murderous regime and from the countries that support the regime, as well as from terrorist and separatist organizations that threaten our security, geography, hopes and dreams .
Eid Mubarak
