Iran Press/Middle East: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spoke at the opening session of the third round of the People's Assembly (parliament) about the situation in the country, US sanctions against Syria and recent developments in the region.
He was scheduled to address the new parliament on Wednesday afternoon but was forced to postpone his speech for several hours due to low blood pressure.
He said that the Syrian people had shown "unprecedented awareness" in the face of the media and giant tools during the war, adding that the war did not and would not prevent the government from fulfilling its duties and responsibilities.
Bashar al-Assad described the recent parliamentary elections as "different" due to the coronavirus condition in the country, and said that despite these conditions, there was a true competition and national movements on the election scene. He attributed the parliament's success to having strong ties to the people and the executive branch.
The Syrian president also referred to US sanctions against Syria, known as the "Caesar Law", and said: "these sanctions were not separate from US actions against Syria and that Washington had resorted to sanctions whenever it failed to achieve its goals."
He said that the United States needed terrorists in the region, including ISIS, and its sanctions were, in fact, a declaration of support for terrorists. "Whenever the terrorists fail in their mission, the United States has resorted to escalating tensions," Bashar al-Assad said.
In a part of his speech, the Syrian president referred to the recent airstrikes and aggressions of the Zionist regime in some areas of Syria and said that all these measures are in support of terrorism, for example, in the airstrikes on Deir ez-Zor, the Israelis demanded to facilitate the movements of ISIS elements in this province.
He called for a practical and appropriate response to the US economic blockade of Syria by increasing production and self-sufficiency, saying that anyone with a small amount of "nationalism" sense should not succumb to failure.
Assad: Just as we supported the army, we must also support the national currency
The Syrian president referred to the effects of US economic sanctions on Syria and said that the sanctions had done the most harm to the Syrian people, contrary to claims by Washington officials.
He said that in the fight against terrorism, just as we stood by the army and achieved good results, supporting the national currency can also strengthen its value. Bashar Al-Assad said the government's support plan for the Syrian pound was not old, but because it was part of a war plan, details could not be explained.
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