Assad thanks Russia, Iran and Hezbollah for their support
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stated that his army has shattered the West's attempts to overthrow his government, thanks to the help of allies, including Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.
"Their direct support - politically, economically and militarily – has made possible great successes on the battlefield and reduced the losses and hardships of the war," Assad said during a television broadcast on August 20.
However, he noted that "the battle continues," and that it's still too early to talk about victory in the civil war that began in his country six and a half years ago.
Assad said he would not restore diplomatic ties or other forms of cooperation with countries that support "terrorists" in Syria. The United States and most European countries closed their embassies in Damascus after the government began cracking down on protesters in 2011.
Assad also expressed support for a number of Moscow's initiatives to stop the shelling, saying that Damascus "is interested in their success."
At the same time, he criticized US proposals for "safe zones", which US President Donald Trump earlier this year hoped to develop through a joint initiative with Moscow.
According to Assad, such zones would "only cover terrorists".
US President Donald Trump said in January that he was trying to create special zones where Syrians fleeing war could live safe from hostilities rather than fleeing the country to become refugees in the United States or Europe. Trump instructed the relevant US departments to work out the details of the plan.
The US says that they are ready to cooperate with Russia in resolving the Syrian crisis. At the same time, the US, like a number of countries, the entire European Union and the League of Arab States, recognizes the Syrian opposition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
As a result of the war in Syria, which has been going on since the beginning of 2011, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and millions of people have been forced to leave their homes.