New Delhi, SANA – The Center for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) organized on Saturday a symposium on the security status in West Asia, particularly the crisis in Syria.
The event was attended by large number of Indian military officers, academics, intellectuals and analysts, including professor H. Nazemi and political analyst Qamar Agha.
The participants said the crisis in Syria has deeply affected the regional and the international economy in general, saying that a prolonged crisis in Syria would constitute a genuine political, economic and social threat to the entire region, especially with the outbreak of international terrorism backed and sponsored by well-known countries.
India’s former ambassador in Syria , Rajendra Abhyankar, said that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are sponsoring and supporting the armed extremist groups that headed for Iraq after they had failed in Syria.
Abhyankar stressed that Syria is a secular country and enjoys a cultural and social plurality, adding that democracy cannot be imposed on peoples.
In turn, head of West Asia and North Africa Affairs at the Indian Foreign Ministry ” External Affairs Ministry” Sandeep Kumar said the situation in Syria negatively affected the regional and international economy, adding that despite the fact that India is interested in enhancing its relations with the Gulf states , that will never be at the expense of the relation with Syria.
For his part, Syria’s Ambassador in India Riad Abbas said that what is happening in Syria is a result of colonialist schemes aimed at undermining and fragmenting Syria because it is the secular state that is confronting the U.S.-Israeli schemes in the Middle East region.
Ambassador Abbas said that the presidential elections in Syria have showcased the support of the Syrian people to its leadership and army.
(CLAWS) is supervised by the Indian Ministry of Defense. The center holds strategic studies and organizes symposiums on regular bases.
M. Nassr/ M. Ismael