The new Syrian interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, is calling on Syrian refugees around the world to return to their homeland following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
“I call on all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has regained its pride and dignity. Come back!” Bashir said in an interview on Wednesday.
Following the end of the decades-long rule of the Assad family, security and stability must now be restored in all Syrian cities so that people can return to normal life, Bashir stated. He is currently set to remain in office until March.
He added that one of his most important goals during this period will be to help the war-torn country recover. Syrian refugees, upon their return, could play a vital role with the experience they have gained abroad.
“We need to rebuild our country and set it on a solid foundation, and we need everyone’s help,” he said.
Bashir previously served as the head of government in the rebel stronghold of Idlib. From there, the Islamist group Hay‘at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – whose leader is Ahmed al-Shar‘a, better known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani – launched the offensive that toppled Assad on December 8th.
Bashir sought to dispel critics’ fears that HTS might exert excessive Islamist influence over the rest of Syria. “The misconduct of some Islamist groups has led many people, especially in the West, to associate Muslims with terrorism and Islam with extremism,” he said.
He described this as a false characterization and affirmed his commitment to guaranteeing the rights of all people in Syria.
When asked about foreign policy, Bashir said that he and his transitional government had “no issues with countries, parties, or sects that have distanced themselves from Assad’s bloodthirsty regime.”
When pressed on whether this meant distancing from Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah and seeking peace with Israel, Bashir did not respond.
