DAMASCUS: Syria’s new transitional prime minister has called for Syrians who have sought refuge abroad to return to their homeland following the ouster of longtime president Bashar al-Assad.
Mohammad al-Bashir, has been appointed as the transitional head of government to run the country until March.
AFP reported that al-Bashir told Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily that one of his first goals was to “bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad”.
“Their human capital, their experience will allow the country to flourish,” Bashir said in an interview published Wednesday.
“Mine is an appeal to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has earned its pride and dignity. Come back. We must rebuild, be reborn, and we need everyone’s help.”
Assad fled Syria as opposition alliance swept into the capital Damascus over the weekend, bringing to an end five decades of rule by his clan.
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Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war killed 500,000 people and forced half the country to flee their homes, millions of them finding refuge abroad.
With Assad gone, the country now faces enormous uncertainty.
Bashir told the Corriere “we have no problem with anyone, state, party or sect, who kept their distance from Assad regime”.
Who is Mohammed al-Bashir?
Bashir has been serving as the prime minister of the Syrian Salvation Government since January 13 this year.
The 41-year-old is a trained engineer by profession who also has a degree in Sharia law from the university in Idlib.
Following the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011, he became the director of an educational institution which provided education to children affected by the conflict.
Before becoming prime minister of the Salvation Government in January 2024, he worked for the group’s ministry responsible for development and humanitarian aid.
