‘Syria ballots forged unity, foiled plots’

Tehran says Syria will be able to thwart enemy plots and tread the path of progress through the national unity achieved as a result of the high turnout in the Arab country’s recent presidential election.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham in a message on Wednesday congratulated Bashar al-Assad on his inauguration as Syria’s president for a third seven-year term, envisaging a bright future for the country.

“Under the new circumstances resulting from the high turnout of the people in the election, the Syrian government and nation will move forward within the framework of national unity, pave the way for the country’s development and progress and stymie the sinister and vindictive goals of Syria’s enemies,” Afkham said.

Assad was sworn in as Syria’s president for a third term on Wednesday. He swept nearly 90 percent of the votes in a landslide victory last month.

“During [Assad’s] new term, and after surmounting the many hardships resulting from the country’s concocted crisis, Syria is preparing itself to enter an era of further peace and stability, so that it can prepare the ground to reconstruct the country on the back of its people’s efforts,” the Foreign Ministry spokeswomen added.

Syria has been experiencing a deadly crisis since March 2011. The West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are giving financial and military support to the militants.

Speaking in his inauguration ceremony, Assad said the war was waged against the Syrian people rather than the government in order to justify foreign military intervention in the country.

The Syrian leader added that the crimes committed by terrorists over the past three and a half years showed the true colors of what foreign powers call a revolution.

Assad stressed that the violence fueled by the US and its regional allies will spill over and backfire on themselves.