CELEBRATIONS were held in Damascus and other cities today as Syria marked the 75th anniversary of its independence and the end of French colonial rule.

President Bashar al-Assad warned that the country still faces the threat of terrorism and a crippling US-imposed economic blockade designed to undermine the Syrian government.

They were compared to the French occupying forces who were expelled from the country on April 17, 1946 paving the way for Syria’s independence.

The Syrian Communist Party (Unified), which allies with the Ba’athist government in the National Progressive Front of Syria, praised the raising of the Syrian flag as symbol of “independence, sovereignty and the unity of its people” and paid tribute to those who fought for Syria’s freedom.

Citizens of the occupied Golan Heights reaffirmed their Syrian identity and said that their “resistance against the Israeli occupation will continue until liberation.”

Messages of congratulations were sent from world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin who said Moscow “supports Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent best wishes from the leadership of Palestine to “the brotherly people of Syria.” 

He also recalled the sacrifices of the Syrian people that led to the independence of the Syrian nation.