“The Syrian people aim to carry a clear message to Arab and Western sides through the election and that is: Syrians have achieved victory against terrorism and are now determined to defend their national unity and sovereignty and that they will never accept intervention in their internal affairs under any condition,” Dayoub told Mehr News Agency in an exclusive interview.
The election is set to be held on May 20 as three candidates namely Bashar Hafez al-Assad, Abdullah Salloum Abdullah, and Mahmoud Ahmed Merei are running for the presidency.
“The Syrian government is determined to hold the presidential election at the pre-determined date,” stressed Ambassador Dayoub, adding, “There is no doubt that a democratic and transparent election will be held in Syria.”
The security situation in all of the areas that are controlled by the government is stable, said the envoy, noting that Syrian citizens can participate in the presidential elections with peace as there will be no security threat.
Referring to allegations of some Arab and Western countries against the election in Syria, the envoy said “Western and Arab countries did not even wait for the process of the election to complete and then talk about the legitimacy of this election.”
After failing in toppling the Syrian government, some Arab states are now following plots to lead the presidential election to failure, however, all these scenarios have been to no avail so far, he said.
Damascus welcomes improvement of ties with Arab states
Elsewhere, when asked about reports of Saudi Arabian delegation visit to Syria, Dayoub said “I neither reject nor confirm Saudi delegation visit to Damascus but the Syrian government welcomes any step taken by Arab states towards the improvement of bilateral ties. “
Zionist regime should await a firm response
Answering a question regarding the Zionist airstrikes against the Syrian soil, the ambassador stressed “The Syrian government will give a firm response to military aggressions of the Zionist regime.”
“Aggressions of this regime’s against Syria is being carried out after coordination with America and Turkey,” he said.
Crimes of the Zionist regime in the holy Quds show that they have violated all the international laws, Dayoub said elsewhere.
Damascus appreciates Tehran’s stance
“On behalf of the Syrian government and people, I appreciate the wise positions of Iran’s Leader, government, and people in support of Syria,” he added.
The truth is that the Resistance Front and Damascus allies, and at top of them the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, have adopted very important positions with regards to Syrian developments, he said, hoping that these sides will also help Syria in the reconstruction of the country.
The presence of Hezbollah forces and advisory presence of Iranian and Russian forces in the Syrian soil is completely legal, noted the ambassador.
Best present to Martyr Soleimani’s soul
The biggest present to the soul of Martyr Soleimani is the continuation of supporting the Resistance Axis and enforcing the culture of Resistance, said Dayoub.
Interview by Mahdi Azizi, Ramin Hossein Abadian
MAH/ 5208749