Syria supports collective Arab initiatives, attaches great importance to practicalities: President Assad

President Bashar al-Assad says Syria supports joint Arab action in the face of regional challenges, stressing that the Arab country attaches paramount significance to initiatives and mechanism that promote such an ideal.

“What matters to Syria is the mechanisms, methods and the outcomes of the joint Arab action, as it is more concerned with actions than remarks,” Assad said in a meeting with visiting Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra in Damascus on Monday, praising the Arab League as “a true reflection of the status quo in the Arab world.”

He also said that Syria "highly appreciates the stances of Algeria in support of Syria’s rights in all spheres.”

“The Syrian nation will never forget Algeria’s positions, because it stood by us during the war we went through. We will always view it as a brotherly country that adheres to its principles and stands committed to Arabism,” Assad added.

The Syrian president went on to note that Damascus is interested to open new chapters of cooperation with Algiers, and to expand brotherly relations between the Syrian and Algerian nations.

Syria must return to Arab League in order for Arabs to unify again, Algeria’s president

The Algerian president says Syria must return to the Arab League in order for Arabs to unify again.

For his part, Lamamra hailed Syria as a founding member of the Arab League, and an essential and integral member of the Arab world.

He stressed that Algeria will continue to support Syria, and will coordinate with it in Arab and international arenas during the Arab League's rotating presidency.

The top Algerian diplomat also voiced his country’s keenness to develop all-out bilateral ties with Syria, and hoped for regular sessions of Syrian-Algerian joint commissions in the near future.

Moreover, the two sides exchanged viewpoints on the promotions of the joint Arab action, both at the bilateral and the Arab League levels, and discussed measures aimed at confronting challenges facing Arabs.

Mekdad: Syria’s main concern is to foster Arab unity, counter common challenges

Separately, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said Syria’s main concern is to promote unity among Arab countries in the face of common challenges.

He made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Algerian counterpart, stating that relations between the two Arab nations are deep-rooted.

“Algeria has stood by the Syrian nation throughout the crisis. It has strongly denounced terrorism and Western sanctions imposed on Syria,” Mekdad noted.

Lamamra, for his part, said Algeria and Syria share common achievements and victories.

“We reached an agreement on enhancement of economic and commercial cooperation in order to serve the interests of the Algerian and Syrian nations.

“Syria’s vacant seat in the Arab League harms the joint Arab action,” the top Algerian diplomat underlined.

Earlier this month, Lamamra called for the restoration of Syria’s membership in the Arab League as a founding member of the regional organization, emphasizing that his country strongly supports the reunification of Arab states.

Algerian FM calls for restoration of Syria’s position in Arab League as founding member

Algerian Foreign Minister has called for the return of Syria to the Arab League, stating that his country supports the reunification of Arab states.

“Algeria will do its utmost effort to unite and strengthen the common Arab will to confront collective challenges,” Lamamra said at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on July 2.

He also emphasized that “Syria is a founding member of the Arab League and that Algeria is not opposed to its return to the organization and reinstatement of its seat.”

The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in November 2011, citing an alleged crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests. Syria has denounced the move as “illegal and a violation of the organization’s charter.”

Syria was one of the six founding members of the Arab League in 1945. In recent months, an increasing number of countries and political parties have called for the reversal of its suspension from the Arab League.

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