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President Assad says Syria must defeat terrorism

Iran Press TV

Thu Apr 3, 2014 7:16AM GMT

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad says Syrian people have no choice but to triumph over foreign-backed militants and extremist theoreticians in the country.

Assad's remarks came during a Wednesday meeting with a delegation of the Russia-based imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in Damascus, where the president further stated that such triumph can only be achieved through "firmly sticking to diversity, moderation and intellectual enlightenment characteristic of the Syrian society over the decades," Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

During the meeting the chairman of the Palestinian society, Sergei Stepashin, conveyed a message to the Syrian president from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who reiterated his government's resolve in continued support of the Syrian people in their struggle against the foreign-backed militancy in the country.

Stepashin also expressed Russia's condemnation of acts of killing and intimidation perpetrated by various militant groups in Syria, particularly the recent assault on the city of Kasab on Syria's northern border with Turkey.

He said his organization is raising funds to send humanitarian supplies to the residents of Kasab, where militants, reportedly aided by Turkey, attacked the city with a considerable Armenian population.

President Assad, for his part, voiced his appreciation for Russia's firm stance in support of Syria.

In a separate meeting on Wednesday the Syrian president also received Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Karim of Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All East, supreme head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and the accompanying Patriarchate delegation.

Assad congratulated Karim for being elected Patriarch, wishing him success and affirming the Patriarchate's vital role in spreading the culture of love and fraternity in the face of the threat posed by Takfiri ideology affecting the region.

Patriarch Karim said he hoped security and peace will prevail in Syria, emphasizing that his patriarchate supports Syrian people's struggle against terrorism.

MFB/HSN/HMV