DAMASCUS, Syria (A.W.)—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia in Damascus on Jan. 4, reported Syria’s Sana news agency. During the meeting, which was also attended by the Catholicosate’s delegation, Catholicos Aram I offered congratulations to President al-Assad and the Syrian people over the liberation of Aleppo by government forces.

“His Holiness offered his sincerest hopes and prayers for the [full] liberation of Syria from terrorism so that peace and security would prevail in Syria as soon as possible,” read a part of the Sana report.

During the meeting, President al-Assad affirmed that the terrorist war that has been targeting Syria and the entirety of the Syrian people for years has failed in achieving one of its most dangerous goals, which is undermining the Syrian people’s unity and harmony.

“[T]his war has made Syrians more steadfast and more determined to remaining committed to their identity and civilization which is based on diversity, and plurality, something what has been a defining attribute of Syrians’ history throughout centuries,” said al-Assad, according to the report.