Syria Always Holds Dialogue with Unarmed Opposition Groups: Muallem
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Wednesday that Damascus always holds talks with unarmed opposition groups that are willing to maintain the territorial integrity of the country.
Speaking in a meeting with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani in Tehran, Muallem touched upon the latest developments in Syria and emphasized that for the resolution of the current crisis in the country, taking the diplomatic path is one of the main options for Damascus.
He further stressed that reaching a lasting solution for the Syrian crisis and creating peace and security in the region hinge on a change in the approach of certain states that support terrorism.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Muallem appreciated Iran’s full support for the Syrian people and government in the fight against foreign-backed terrorist groups.
Shamkhani, for his part, praised Syria for its resistance against Takfiri terrorists and said the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is a global threat and its supporters should be held accountable for the heinous crimes committed by the terrorist group.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists from the ISIL currently controlling parts of it, mostly in the east.
According to the United Nations, more than 220,000 people have been killed and one million wounded during the conflict.
In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.
Back on June 2, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the resistance of the Syrian government and people against foreign-backed terrorist groups in the Arab country, saying that Tehran is determined to side with Damascus to the end of the crisis.