Al-Assad sought to address largest possible number of Syrians

President Bashar al-Assad wanted to address the largest number of Syrian citizens and sought his milestone speech to reach across all spectrums of the Syrian society, not only the People’s Assembly, said Minister of Presidential Affairs Mansour Azzam.
“That’s why the place where President al-Assad delivered his speech was relocated from the People’s Assembly to the People’s Palace, which can accommodate a number four times the number that the Assembly can take,” he explained.
“To cut a long story short: the message is that the President wanted to speak to the Syrian people and to take the oath before all sections of the Syrian people who have withstood the current crisis,” Azzam said in a statement on Wednesday.
Azzam spoke about the accommodating logistics that the People’s Palace afforded which, he said, offered a “befitting accommodation” for the invitees who deserve a “comfortable place .”
Among the invitees were volunteers who “took great pains to help their fellow citizens, as well as doctors and nurses,” Azzam said, also thanking media that have “risen up to challenges and troubles.”
Azzam added that the Syrian presidency sought to keep “extravagant and lavish ceremonies to a minimum” and as low-key as possible, saying that protocols were cut down to the essentials.
President al-Assad was sworn in for a new term in office on Wednesday. The swearing-in ceremony was followed by a key-note speech in which the President addressed the nation.