On December 6, 2022 at the invitation of the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar al-Jafari, the young Lugansk girl writer and anti-war activist Faina Savenkova visited the Embassy of Syria in Moscow and met with the ambassador, who gave her a reply letter from President Bashar al-Assad.
Recently Igor Lopotenok, a producer and director, whom I love and respect very much, said in a live broadcast at the open air on the TV channel Zvezda that you do not need orders or laws to fight for your country. You just have to do everything well in your place and fight for your homeland the way you know how. And I totally agree with him, and I try to do so. Yesterday my co-author, Alexander Kontorovich and I visited the Syrian embassy in Moscow, where the distinguished Ambassador Bashar al-Jafari held an important meeting for me.
We talked about the children of Syria and Donbass. I am very glad that the Syrian leadership promised to help in my project of communication of war children between our republics. Many thanks to everyone who helped in organizing this meeting, and especially to the Syrian Ambassador in Moscow.
I would especially like to thank President Bashar al-Assad for his response to the letter I sent him. While other heads of state, such as Emmanuel Macron, instructed their secretaries to answer me, Bashar al-Assad wished to answer me personally and I am very touched by this attention and also by his invitation to visit Syria.
Faina Savenkova
Translation of the letter from Bashar al-Assad
Dear Faina Vladimirovna,
I was pleased to receive your message via the Donbass Insider website. I am very happy to read your writings and thoughts reflecting the qualities of a young girl with a mature personality, conscious mind and sincere thoughts.
Your feelings about the children of Donbass and Syria, and your advocacy for the rights of these children through inspiring writings, lead us to believe that the dangerous and unstable conditions you have experienced in Donbass in recent years, similar to those to which Syrian children have been exposed, have contributed to the maturation of young people who are courageous in word and thought and who know what their country has been facing. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the threats against you are proof that the enemies of your country are afraid of your courage and bravery in telling the truth and being able to transmit it to the world.
There are many conscientious and courageous young people in Syria, just like you, and it would be a great opportunity to meet them and read your stories to them in person.
Thank you for the good wishes to me, my family and Syrians in general. In turn, I sincerely wish Donbass a speedy peace and freedom, a bright future awaits you, worthy of your work.
President of the Syrian Arab Republic
Bashar al-Assad