Fifth Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region

Ambassador Dehghani’s Address

It is a pleasure to address the distinguished audience at this conference and I appreciate the EU’s and UN’s efforts for holding today’s conference.
Syrian tragedy is past its tenth year, an indication of the bitter reality that there was no genuine will by the international community to help resolve this crisis based on the principles of international law in particular respect for Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. Despite the importance that is accorded to sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations under international law, some countries have invited themselves into Syria without the consent of the Syrian Government.
Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Iran has supported political solutions.
This is why, along with the persistent cooperation with the UNSG representatives for Syria, and aiming to end military operation and find a political solution, we launched the Astana Process in collaboration with our partners Russia and Turkey.
In this context, we supported the establishment of the Constitutional Committee and its effort, as a platform for Syrian-Syrian dialogue, and we continue to do so.

As the Syrian crisis moves from the military to political phase, the international community has a responsibility to facilitate this transition with the help of Syrian government, and at this critical juncture, it should be wary of the possibility of ISIS resurgence and re-emergence of other terrorist groups.
The safe and dignified return of all Syrian refugees, without them being instrumentalized for demanding political concessions, is important in this regard.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the world is ravaged by Covid-19, Syria is grappling with all the calamities and catastrophes of war and the virus. the current situation highlights the significance of reconstruction and humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. All international humanitarian assistance must be distributed within the Syrian population regardless of their political affiliations or their locality in Syrian territory.
The imposition of unilateral and illegal sanctions, the Czar Law, is not only against international law, but also the intensifier of pain and agony of ordinary Syrians after a decade of war.

Only the Syrian people should decide the future of their country free from foreign interference. Any political process will succeed only by respecting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
To encourage Damascus to engage in political process while at the same time imposing restrictive measures against it is unacceptable. Iran considers such attitude as an impractical and opportunistic one and deplores it.
Iran has been providing the Syrian people with humanitarian assistance throughout last decade, and stands ready for joint efforts aimed at alleviating the misery of Syrian people and ending the Syrian crisis.