MIAMI, United States. – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) of Cuba express his “utmost concern” about the fall of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was forced to leave the country due to the advance of armed opposition groups.
In an official statement Issued this Sunday, MINREX called to “preserve the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Syria,” as well as to respect the “integrity and security of the diplomatic missions” present in the Arab nation.
“We are in permanent contact with our diplomatic staff, who are well, complying with the plans established for this type of contingencies, with a lot of discipline, unity and commitment,” indicated the Foreign Ministry, without offering further details about the internal situation of the staff or the extent of the damage in Syrian territory.
The MINREX statement comes after Moscow confirmed the abandonment of Syria by the dictator Bashar al-Assad, who would have agreed to leave after negotiations with several actors in the conflict. This withdrawal comes after the domination of the capital, Damascus, by the Islamist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has controlled the city since early Sunday morning. With the flight of the ruler, Syria woke up for the first time in more than 20 years without the “yoke” of the regime, according to rebel sources cited by international media.
The AFP agency reported that the insurgents consider this event as the beginning of “a new era” for Syria, after half a century of Baathist rule. Since 2011, the country has suffered a bloody civil war that left more than half a million dead and forced some 12 million people to flee. With the territory now under rebel control, opposition groups urged their exiled compatriots to return to a “free Syria” and declared Damascus “free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” according to the EFE agency.
Among the voices of the new Syrian scenario, Prime Minister Mohammad al-Jalafi stands out, who asked insurgents and the opposition to “think about the country” and not undertake acts of violence against the population. This perspective contrasts with the withdrawal of Russia, a historical ally of Damascus, which on this occasion did not provide support to the regime during the 11-day rebel offensive that marked its fall.
The regimes of Cuba and Syria have maintained a close relationship for six decades, which has included the shipment of oil from the Arab nation to the Island during the so-called “Special Period”as well as the supply of Cuban medicines and vaccines despite the Syrian civil war.
For their part, dozens of Syrian professionals trained in Cuban universities, feeding the propaganda of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) and adding another voice to the discourse against the US embargo.
