Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed on Monday that his country will work on ensuring no repeat of violations against the Syrian people.
In a speech marking the one-year anniversary of the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, he also renewed his pledge to achieve transitional justice.
“We congratulate all Syrians on liberating Syria from oppression and dictatorship,” he added.
“The ousted regime tried for decades to drag Syria away from its historic depth. The era of the regime was a dark chapter in Syria’s history,” he continued.
“We want a strong Syria that would regain its position in its Arab and regional environment,” Sharaa stressed.
Moreover, he said the Assad regime was built on lawlessness and “deliberately stoked strife, fear and terror between the Syrians.”
The new Syrian administration, however, is “extending bridges of fraternity,” he stated. “People no longer look at Syria with pity, but with pride.”
He continued: “The people have entrusted us with a responsibility and we have kicked off efforts to rebuild.” He also reiterated the government’s vow to tirelessly work on finding people who have been disappeared by the ousted regime.
Syrians marked the first anniversary of the overthrow of Assad and his iron-fisted rule on Monday with jubilant celebrations in major cities, as the fractured nation struggles to find stability and recover after years of war.
Assad fled Syria for Russia a year ago as Sharaa's opposition fighters seized Damascus following an eight-day blitz through the country, ending his rule more than 13 years after an uprising had spiraled into bitter civil war.
Sharaa began Monday with dawn prayers at Damascus' Umayyad Mosque, dressed in the military fatigues he wore as head of opposition fighters, a uniform he has since switched for the somber suits of presidential office.
