Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that the country's presidential elections in 2021 will be open to anyone who wants to run. To their countries.
In detail, Assad made the remarks in an interview aired yesterday by Russia's state-funded English-language television channel Russia Today. Assad faced two rivals in a landslide victory in 2014, which his rivals described as a play.
"Last time we were three, and this time of course we will have all those who want to run," Assad said. "There will be many candidates."
He described relations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as "in transition" now, and added: «Let's say we are in a transition, because they will keep their weapons now, but we invited them to join the Syrian army. "Some of them refused, but in the last few days some said they were ready to join the Syrian army."
"We do not yet know what will happen, but we have invited them to join the army in order to return to the normal situation that prevailed before the war, when there was a state of law and state sovereignty, and no one else."
Assad denied that there was an agreement with the SDF to share power. "This is about regaining full control over the territories where the Syrian army moves and introduces government services," he said. Consequently, full sovereignty is extended to these areas, pointing out that the measures being taken between the Syrian government and SDF forces in the north-east of the country "aim to remove the pretext from the hands of the Turks to invade Syria."
“While the majority of Kurds had a good relationship with the government, it was this part of the Democratic Union Party that the Americans publicly supported, with weapons and money, and fled oil together,” he said. Most of these are frankly agents of the Americans.
"The stability you are seeing is the result of the sacrifices of more than 100,000 Syrian soldiers killed or wounded," Assad said. "We lost many lives, not to mention thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of civilians or innocent people killed."
Assad denied the Syrian army had been involved in killing civilians at any stage. Assad accused Israel of providing direct support to militants linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh in Syria. Their planes were starting to carry out air strikes against our army. That's what happens. "So the connection is very clear."
On the other hand, Turkish media reported yesterday that Ankara started deporting ISIS militants detained to their countries yesterday, days after the Turkish Interior Minister threatened to deport them.
The Anatolia news agency quoted a spokesman for the Turkish Interior, saying that seven German militants will be deported on Thursday. The spokesman pointed out that an American militant was deported from ISIS detainees after taking legal procedures.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday that there were 1,201 ISIS detainees in Turkish jails, while Ankara was detained 287 in Syria. In Berlin, the German government confirmed the deportation of Turkey to the German yesterday, and the deportation of seven others last Thursday, and two last Friday.
These are three men, five women and two children, according to the same source.