Damascus, Aug. 16 (SANA) Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Murhaf Abu Qasra and Culture Minister Mohammad Yassin Saleh said the protection of the homeland and the development of public awareness are interconnected efforts centered on the Syrian people.
Speaking during the Summer of Syria Festival at Damascus Citadel on Saturday, Abu Qasra said the Syrian Arab Army’s role extends beyond defending borders, describing it as a national institution that contributes to protecting communities and supporting reconstruction efforts.
He said army personnel work alongside emergency and disaster response teams to confront fires, protect lives and property, restore damaged areas through tree-planting campaigns and support efforts to reopen roads and connect communities.
Abu Qasra also highlighted the role of demining teams in removing explosive remnants and making affected areas safer for residents.
“The same hand that protects borders and safeguards sovereignty is also the hand that plants hope and builds for the future,” Abu Qasra said, paying tribute to members of the armed forces, emergency teams, security services and all those working to protect the country.
For his part, Culture Minister Mohammad Yassin Saleh said building Syria requires more than physical reconstruction, stressing the importance of values such as responsibility, dignity and the rule of law.
He said the Defense Ministry protects the homeland and its people, while the Culture Ministry works to preserve awareness and collective memory through cultural activities that strengthen Syrians’ understanding of their heritage, identity and diversity.
He said the event at Damascus Citadel represented “the return of meaning to words” after terms such as security, defense, army and state had been distorted during the previous dark era and used as tools of oppression and injustice.
The culture minister said the Syrian Arab Army today represents a new relationship between citizens and military institutions, where soldiers are viewed as part of society and responsible for protecting their communities.
“We want a strong army built on people’s trust and respect, proud through the pride of its people, and close to the society from which it emerged to protect it,” Saleh said.
He added that soldiers are members of Syrian communities who carry responsibility for defending their country and protecting its people.
Saleh said the participation of Defense Ministry personnel in cultural and public events helps strengthen ties between institutions and society, adding that the ministries of Defense and Culture work along parallel paths that ultimately meet around the Syrian citizen.
The ceremony included a tribute by the Culture Ministry to Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Engineer Murhaf Abu Qasra. Children also delivered a message thanking Syrian Arab Army personnel for their role in protecting Damascus and other Syrian provinces, maintaining public safety and helping restore normal life by clearing roads and removing rubble.
A/DH
