India welcome to play a role in reconstruction of Syria: Assad

NEW DELHI: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said India is welcome to play a role in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.

He also said India and Syria were victims of terror and they should support each other in the fight against the menace.

"India is welcome to play an economic role in the reconstruction of Syria, something we have already started.

"We started this project in Damascus, and now we are expanding that project in most of the cities in Syria, of course after the liberation from ISIS and al-Nusra and those terrorist groups. Of course, we welcome any Indian company," he told a news channel.

On the fight against terror, Assad said India and Syria could learn from each other and work towards building a "genuine coalition" against terrorism, according to a press release issued by the TV channel.

Assad described India's stand on the Syrian war as one based on international law and the UN Charter, and independent of those countries that sought to pressure New Delhi to end all ties with Syria.

He said India would be among the first countries he plans to visit after the war is over.