Syrian president describes Vladimir Putin’s regime as ‘sincere and transparent’ while US ‘abandons its friends’ in interview with Hezbollah TV network

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has expressed “strong confidence” that Russia will continue supporting his embattled regime.



“We have strong confidence in the Russians, as they have proven throughout this crisis, for four years, that they are sincere and transparent in their relationship with us,” Assad said in an interview with Hezbollah’s al-Manar television network.



He also described as “legitimate” the presence in Syria of fighters from Hezbollah backing his forces. The powerful Lebanese Shia movement, along with Russia and Iran, has backed Assad since Syria’s revolt broke out in 2011.

The rare television interview came as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, discussed the Syrian crisis with Jordan’s King Abdullah on the sidelines of the Maks-2015 aerospace show in Moscow.

Assad described Russia as “principled”, while “the United States abandons its allies, abandons its friends”.

He added: “This was never the case with Russia’s policy, neither during the Soviet Union, nor during the time of Russia … Russia has never said that it supported President Such and Such and then decided to abandon him.”

Assad had been asked by al-Manar’s correspondent about comments by the US president, Barack Obama, earlier in August that Russia and Iran “recognise that the trend lines are not good for Assad”.

He rebuffed the statement, saying Iran, too, remained a steadfast ally, adding that the recent nuclear deal between Iran and world powers would strengthen Iran’s role internationally, in turn benefiting Syria.

“The power of Iran is the power of Syria, and a victory for Syria is a victory for Iran. We are on the same axis, the axis of resistance.”

Several international efforts to bring about a political solution to the crisis have failed.

Syria’s conflict began with anti-government demonstrations in March 2011, but after a bloody crackdown by the ruling regime it spiralled into a multi-front civil war that has left more than 240,000 people dead.



