Syrian President Bashar Assad was sworn in during a solemn ceremony in Damascus on Saturday, almost two months after winning the May election by a landslide.

“Liberating what has remained of our land is a priority, its liberation from the terrorists and their Turkish and US sponsors,” he was quoted as saying in his inaugural speech by the Syrian state news agency SANA.

Assad urged Syrians who fled abroad to escape the decade-long war to return home, saying that “bets have fallen and the homeland has remained.”

The May 26 election saw 14.2 million Syrians cast their ballots in 12,000 polling places across the country and at overseas missions. Assad beat two rivals to secure more than 95% of the vote. Turnout exceeded 78%.