The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) has issued a statement expressing its strong concern over the decision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to receive the foreign minister of the Assad regime. According to the SOC, this move is not only worrisome but also sends a deeply troubling message. The SOC stressed that the Assad regime has committed countless atrocious crimes against the Syrian people, and such a move increases the complexity of the already fragile political process.

The SOC stresses that the Assad regime has never shown any real commitment to the political process in Syria and has deliberately obstructed all attempts to implement UN resolutions, including Resolution 2254. The regime has resorted to heinous tactics such as criminality and terrorism to suppress the Syrian people who demanded freedom over twelve years ago. The regime has committed some of the most horrific crimes known to humanity, such as using chemical weapons on residential neighborhoods, barrel bombs, and internationally prohibited weapons.

The SOC affirmed that any rapprochement with the Assad regime will not lead to a political solution in Syria. Instead, it will strengthen the authority of a war criminal and only result in further massacres and atrocities against the Syrian people. The SOC called on everyone to uphold their moral and human responsibility to condemn the war criminal, punish him, and isolate him from any international or regional forum and meeting.

The SOC warns that a viable solution to the humanitarian and political problems in Syria must begin with holding the Assad regime accountable. The regime sponsors foreign and sectarian militias that it brought in to kill the Syrian people. Additionally, the regime is responsible for the manufacturing and exporting of drugs to the world. The return of refugees depends significantly on the departure of the Assad regime, as refugees cannot return to areas controlled by the regime, where detention centers are still full of innocent people who demanded freedom.

The SOC called on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reconsider its position on the Assad regime and stand firm on its honorable position regarding the necessity of isolating the regime and holding it accountable for the crimes it committed against the Syrian people and the peoples of the region