Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made his first address to the Arab League summit in 12 years, returning to the Arab League despite the vociferous opposition of the United States.
Speaking during the summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, Assad called on member states of the Arab League to address regional issues “without foreign interference.”
Assad said that we have “a historic opportunity to rearrange our affairs with the least amount of foreign intervention,” the Syrian official news agency SANA reported.
The remarks come as the Arab League readmitted Syria on May 7 in defiance of threats made by the United States. The decision was supported by all 13 of the 22 member states that were present at the session.
The growing normalization has not been welcomed by Washington whose policies in the past decade have been focused on putting an end to the Assad government and isolating Syria.
During his address, Assad hoped for increased cooperation between regional states, saying, “I hope that it marks the beginning of a new phase of Arab action for solidarity among us, for peace in our region, development and prosperity instead of war and destruction.”
