The statements of the father of the Syrian interim president came in response to a demonstration in the capital, Damascus, against Egypt. He described it as “dissonant voices that offend,” considering that “offending Egypt is an offense to the Levant and the entire Arab and Islamic nation.” He pointed to the historical unity between the two countries, recalling mutual support during the tripartite aggression on Egypt in 1956, the Arab unity between Syria and Egypt within the framework of the United Arab Republic, and the military cooperation in the October War of 1973. He praised Egypt’s role in welcoming Syrians during the Syrian crisis, saying, “Thousands poured into great Egypt, which received them as family, not as refugees, saying ‘You are in your Egypt.'” He commended Egyptian hospitality, noting that “Syrians found in Egypt an environment free of racism or harassment, enabling them to work and create freely.” He added, “Those who do not thank people do not thank God, and Egypt does not need our thanks because it is hospitable, opening its doors to anyone who knocks.” The Syrian interim president, Ahmad Al-Shara, stated last March that his country’s relationship “with Arabs in general was built before the Arab summit and many Arab leaders visited Damascus.” Al-Shara said in televised statements that Syria and Egypt are “two wings of one bird” while discussing Syria’s participation in the urgent Arab summit held in Cairo. Last March, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah met with Al-Shara on the sidelines of the urgent Arab summit held in the capital, Cairo. The Syrian news agency (SANA) published pictures of a side meeting between Al-Shara and the Egyptian president, conducted on the sidelines of the urgent Arab summit held in Cairo, after the Egyptian president invited Ahmad Al-Shara to attend the activities of the urgent Arab summit held in Cairo.
