Damascus, Sep 19 (IANS): Western countries, particularly the United States, have been destabilising other nations and manipulating public opinion on the pretext of "democracy," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.

"The West continues to exploit the notion of promoting and protecting democracy as a tool to subjugate nations and break the will of their people," the ministry stated, singling out Washington's "Janus-faced policy" in silencing voices that support the Palestinian cause while championing the so-called "freedom of expression" and "democracy."

The ministry identified the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), primarily funded by the US Congress, as a "front for undermining governments and interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states."

Since its establishment in 1983, the NED has been involved in actions aimed at sowing division, manipulating public opinion, and destabilising countries under the guise of democracy -- tactics similar to those employed in Syria to weaken states from within, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the ministry.

It added that the organisation's "destructive practices" threaten global peace and stability.

The struggle in Syria, a country that has endured years of conflict, has been exacerbated by a "Western-backed campaign to destroy the country in the name of democracy," the ministry concluded.