Bashar al-Assad

Politics is about realities, not logic.

— Bashar al-Assad

Armies are not only for offensives.

— Bashar al-Assad

I cannot afford to make mistakes.

— Bashar al-Assad

Opposition is different from terrorism. Opposition is a political movement.

— Bashar al-Assad

The logical thing is to implement the Arab Defense Agreement.

— Bashar al-Assad

Israeli interests are not necessarily in harmony with the American interests.

— Bashar al-Assad

I never rejected any responsibility, but that depends on the decision.

— Bashar al-Assad

Using terrorism or jihadists or extremists for any political agenda is immoral.

— Bashar al-Assad

I am Syrian, I was made in Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria.

— Bashar al-Assad

We cannot use jihadists because it's like shooting yourself in the foot.

— Bashar al-Assad

Since its very inception, Israel has been a threat.

— Bashar al-Assad

We have to wait and see when Donald J. Trump embarks his new mission, let's say, or position within this administration as…

— Bashar al-Assad

When you talk about Al-Qaeda it doesn't matter if he's Syrian or American or from Europe or from Asia or Africa.

— Bashar al-Assad

Our democracy should reflect our culture and our habits and our customs and our reality at the same time.

— Bashar al-Assad

We're not sure that if there's chemical weapon used and who used it. We can't talk about virtual things, we have to…

— Bashar al-Assad

Every friend of Syria is looking for peaceful solution, and we are convinced about that. We have this advice, and without this…

— Bashar al-Assad

From Russia for example, we have political support, which is different from the cooperation. We have cooperation for 60 years now, but…

— Bashar al-Assad

I believe that the United States is not genuine regarding having a cessation of violence in Syria.

— Bashar al-Assad

If you are going to be a mediator or arbitrator you have to be in the middle between the two sides; you…

— Bashar al-Assad

In the United States, they always talk about subtitles, about chapters in a book without taking the main title of the book.…

— Bashar al-Assad

We are facing an external attack against us, which is more dangerous than any other previous wars... We are dealing with those…

— Bashar al-Assad

The majority of fighters now are Al-Qaeda. If you want to support them, you are supporting Al-Qaeda, you are creating havoc in…

— Bashar al-Assad

You can't say "the people of Aleppo" because the majority of the people of Aleppo are living in the area under the…

— Bashar al-Assad

People do not only live on interests; they also live on beliefs, especially in very ideological areas. Unless you understand the ideological…

— Bashar al-Assad

There's a difference between a mistake or even a crime that's been committed by an individual, and between a policy of crime…

— Bashar al-Assad

If you want to talk about mistakes, every country has mistakes, every government has mistakes, every person has mistakes. When you have…

— Bashar al-Assad

Let's be realistic, every terrorist came to Syria, he came through Turkey with the support of [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. So, fighting those…

— Bashar al-Assad

From the first day I took the decision as President to defend my country. So, who killed ? That's another question. Actually,…

— Bashar al-Assad

You have to look at the reality in Syria. Whenever we liberate any city or village from the terrorists, the civilians will…

— Bashar al-Assad

I have to be very clear and very honest. I'm not asking [ the American officials] to believe if they don't want…

— Bashar al-Assad

Those fighters, the Syrian part that you're talking about, lost its natural incubators in the Syrian society - they don't have incubators…

— Bashar al-Assad

Many people, they flee not the war itself, but the consequences of the war, because they want to live, they want to…

— Bashar al-Assad

Fighting the terrorists in Syria is not only in the interest of Syria or the Syrian people; in the interest of the…

— Bashar al-Assad

The external support can never substitute internal support, the example that we have to look at very well is Egypt and Tunisia…

— Bashar al-Assad

Do you call the people in Los Angeles in the nineties - do you call them rebels or opposition ? They are…

— Bashar al-Assad

We believe that Lebanon has been the first real experience for all the Arabs.

— Bashar al-Assad

But the issue has to do with land, which is our land.

— Bashar al-Assad

It's our right to defend our country against any kind of invasion.

— Bashar al-Assad

Worry does not mean fear, but readiness for the confrontation.

— Bashar al-Assad

Israel ranks her priorities in the following way: security, land, and water.

— Bashar al-Assad