President Nasser’s Speech at Maspero Building on the Evacuation Day Anniversary from Syria

Translated by Ganna Elebiary  

Reviewed by Mohaned Mohammed

Dear Citizens,

The evacuation day from Syria holds great significance in the history of the sacred cause whose echoes still resonate in our region today; it is a call for unity…a call for strength…a call for life.

This day marked a towering peak in the history of the Syrian people’s struggle. From its lofty heights, this great nation was able to rise above the entire horizon, guided by its past and looking forward to its future. It drew from experience and understanding and stored within itself the will and hope for the future.

Dear Citizens,

The great significance of the day of the evacuation from Syria lies in the fact that its people found meaning, discovered their abilities and talents, and decided to dedicate them all to realizing their aspirations for the great Arab unification. The pledge that Syria made to itself as it raised the flag of independence on that day was that no flag would rise above it except one, the flag of unity. The remarkable meaning of this pledge is that unity can only be achieved if independence comes first as its foundation, and that the greatest hope for the Arabs can only be realized when the Arab will be freed from the chains of colonialism, whether they are chains of iron or chains of gold.

Dear citizens,

This was the great meaning of Syria’s Independence Day. On this day, Syria realized that the aspirations of peoples cannot be granted by a powerful state and that great hopes cannot depend on promises exchanged for services rendered. The wishes of peoples are fulfilled by the will of the peoples themselves, and their highest hopes are achieved only by their own capable determination. Right is demanded because it is right; if it becomes a gift or favor from the strong to the weak, the honor of that right is lost and its dignity diminished.

The Syrian people understood all of this on Independence Day, and they pledged to themselves to strive for unity with confidence and assurance.

Dear Citizens,

Thus, after independence, the people of Syria set out on their immortal struggle for unity, equipped with the greatest provisions a warrior can have: clarity of purpose, faith in the cause, and confidence in themselves. Victory was bound to be the fulfillment of destiny, the complete triumph for the people of Syria and for the people of Egypt, which met them halfway, was the establishment of the United Arab Republic.

Dear Citizens,

This confirmed that Arab issues cannot be resolved far from Arab capitals. It also reinforced that the value of any country in the world is not determined by the size of its land or the number of its population, but by the degree to which its people believe in their rights and their readiness to work sincerely and selflessly to uphold and respect all the values they hold.

Our struggle has proven that there are no weak countries in the world, only countries that are made weak. It has also shown that injustice is produced only by weakness and that tyranny arises only from submission. This is the positive logic of life, and without it, there can be no life.

Dear Citizens,

Our peoples, all Arab peoples, have understood and grasped this logic. The lessons of our history have been clear and eloquent. And even if this understanding did not reach some individuals, the peoples, with their sincere sentiments, clear perceptions and consciences freed from the residue of desires and personal agendas, have preserved the lessons of their history and acted upon them with honesty and integrity. Thus, they brought us closer to the day of the great unity.

Dear Citizens,

Let our call on this occasion be that the flags of independence rise in every Arab country. The flags of independence are the vanguard of the flags of unity.

Dear Citizens,

May God make the United Arab Republic, which has united us under its free flag, a source of honor and pride for all Arabs…a stronghold and refuge for all Arabs…and a support and treasure for all Arabs.

Peace be upon you.