Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said during the opening ceremony of the Al-Fayhaa Basketball Hall in Damascus that relations between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples have long suffered because of politics, stressing the need to move beyond the past and enter a phase of rebuilding.
Opening the friendly match between the Syrian and Lebanese national teams, al-Sharaa said:
“Good relations between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples have long been ruined by politics, and the two countries have suffered for a long time from wars and tragedies. The time has come to put an end to these tragedies and move to a phase of reconstruction.”
“We are proud to be here with you at a basketball event, which is one of the sports dearest to our hearts, but we left it because of the wars and our many problems, and turned to another game involving attack, planning, defense, defeat and victory.”
“What you see today is the beginning, and the future holds much more than that. History between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples has always involved a beautiful and warm relationship spoiled by politics. It is wonderful that our first event together is a basketball game, and there are special rules between Lebanon and Syria: there is neither winner nor loser.”
“The precision you see in this achievement will, God willing, be Syria’s foremost characteristic. Syria and Lebanon have grown weary of the tragedies of war, and the time has come to put an end to that and move toward building and reconstruction.”
President al-Sharaa also stressed that sport represents a bridge for bringing Syria and Lebanon closer together, emphasizing that the current launch marks the beginning of a new phase of cooperation and cultural and sporting rapprochement.
