A Year After the Fall of Assad.. Al-Shara: We Must Unite Our Efforts to Build a Strong Syria

SadaNews - The Syrian President, Ahmad al-Shara, emphasized on Monday, during the first anniversary of the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad, the importance of uniting the efforts of Syrians to build a "strong Syria" and achieve a future "worthy of the sacrifices of its people".

After performing the Fajr prayer in the Umayyad Mosque, Al-Shara stated: "We will restore Syria to strength by building in a manner befitting its present and past... by building appropriate to the ancient civilization of Syria," according to statements conveyed by presidential platforms.

Al-Shara, who appeared in a green military uniform that he wore upon his arrival in Damascus a year ago, stressed that "preserving this victory and building upon it is today the greatest duty placed on all Syrians."

Over the past year, Al-Shara has succeeded in breaking Syria's international isolation and lifting crippling economic sanctions against it.

The authorities celebrated the anniversary of Assad's removal while the Kurdish self-administration, which has not seen any progress in negotiations with Damascus to integrate its institutions into the state, announced a ban on holding any gatherings or public events in all areas under its control in northeastern Syria due to what it described as "current security conditions, characterized by increased activity of terrorist cells."

On another note, a prominent Alawite cleric, Ghazal Ghazal, called on his community members to engage in a "comprehensive strike in all aspects of life and to remain at home for 5 days," set to begin on December 8.