Quote

My decision was, and the decision of the different institutions, and the decision of the different officials in Syria - I'm on top of them - was to have dialogue, to fight terrorists, and to reform as a response at the very beginning, response to the allegations, let's say, at that time, that they needed reform in Syria, we responded.

Bashar al-Assad

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Bashar al-Assad
Age: 59
Born: 1965
Born: September 11
Military Leader
Ophthalmologist
President Of Syria
Statesperson
Sham city
Assad
Needed
Officials
Decision
Terrorist
Fighting
Dialogue
Different
Reform
Time
Response
Allegations
Institutions
Responded
Beginning
Terrorists
Fight
Syria

More quotes by Bashar al-Assad

Image
You can't say the people of Aleppo because the majority of the people of Aleppo are living in the area under the control of the government, so you cannot talk about the people of Aleppo.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Revolution should be Syrian, cannot be revolution imported from abroad.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
I believe that the United States is not genuine regarding having a cessation of violence in Syria.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Israel has WMD, and it has to sign [chemical warfare agreement], and Israel is occupying our land, so that's we talked about the Middle East, not Syria, not Israel it should be comprehensive.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Any cooperation that doesn't go through the Syrian government is not legal. If it's not legal, we cannot cooperate with, and we don't recognize and we don't accept.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
We asked for a delegation [of the Red Cross] in March 2013 when the first attack happened in Aleppo in the north of Syria they delayed it till just a few days before al-Ghouta when they sent those team, and the team itself said in its report that he did everything as he wanted. There was not a single obstacle.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
The criteria or the paradigm for us is not the West, not the Western paradigm, because the West has its own culture, we have our own culture, they have their own reality, we have our own reality.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
The problem with the West is that they start with political reform going towards democracy. If you want to go towards democracy, the first thing is to involve the people in decision making, not to make it.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Syria is geographically and politically in the middle of the Middle East. That is why we are in contact with most of the problems forever, let us say, whether directly or indirectly.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
When you talk about Al-Qaeda it doesn't matter if he's Syrian or American or from Europe or from Asia or Africa.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Many people, they flee not the war itself, but the consequences of the war, because they want to live, they want to have the basic needs for their livelihood, they don't have it. They have to flee these circumstances, not necessarily the security situation itself. So, you have different reasons for the people or the refugees to leave Syria.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Think of the war against terrorism. In my view, Washington's approach can be compared to a doctor constantly banging away at a tumor instead of removing it surgically.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
In any war, people will pay the price.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
We always say we have wishful thinking that the Unites States would be unbiased, respect the international law, doesn't interfere in other countries around the world, and of course to stop supporting terrorists in Syria.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Since the beginning of the crisis, since the terrorists started to control some areas within Syria, the majority of the Syrian civilians left that areas to join the government areas, not vice versa. If the majority of the Syrians don't trust the government, they should go the other way.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
Some of these agendas wanted me to quit, very simply, so they said we have all the guarantees if you want to leave, and all the money and everything you want. Of course, you just ignore that.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
We cannot tell anything about what [Donald Trump] is going to do, but if, let's say if he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russian, with the Iranian, with many other countries who wanted to defeat the terrorists.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
It is not my democracy as a person it is our democracy as a society.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
We have hopes that we can see rational American presidents fair, obey the international law, deal with other countries according to mutual respect, parity, etc., but we all know that this is only wishful thinking and fantasy.
Bashar al-Assad
Image
When you use an armament, you use it to defend the civilians. You kill terrorists in order to defend civilians. That's the natural role of any army in the world.
Bashar al-Assad