President Assad: Israel seeks to displace Christians across region

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned that the illegal Zionist entity is after displacing the Christian population across the region as part of its sectarian schemes.

“The displacement of Christians is a main goal for the external schemes for the region, but it is mainly an Israeli goal,” he told participants of the International Ecclesiastical Conference held in Damascus on Sunday.

Explaining how this could further Israel's interests, he said, “When the countries of the region are divided into different sectarian states, each with a single color, then Israel will become part of the natural tissue."

“Therefore, maintaining the texture of the region and its diverse identity are a need that we should defend,” Assad said.

Syrians adhering to the Christian faith “have never been a ‘guest,’ nor a ‘passenger’ citizen, but a true partner in work and production,” he added.

Syria pavilion at Expo 2020 hosts intl. meeting

Separately, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said a pavilion that Syria has been running at Dubai Expo 2020, hosted an international meeting on Syrian archaeological sites.

The event was held at the invitation of the Syrian Trust for Development under the title “Restoring the Syrian heritage and reviving local communities.”

The meeting took place following a visit by Assad to the United Arab Emirates, which came despite efforts by the United States and its allies to isolate Damascus either through backing anti-Syria terrorists or slapping sanctions on the Arab country.

Assad traveled to the UAE on Friday, where he met Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

During his meeting with Assad, the UAE crown prince "stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security.”

“The UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with Syria,” he added, describing the two nations as “brotherly peoples.”

SS