Iranian, Russian Deputy FMs Hold Talks on Regional Issues
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Bogdanov, held talks on the latest efforts to resolve the ongoing crises in Yemen and Syria through political means.
In a telephone conversation on Thursday, the two hi-ranking diplomats exchanged views about the outcomes of recent negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna over Syria’s more than four-year-old conflict.
Amir Abdollahian briefed Bogdanov on his recent discussions with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad, saying that Damascus stresses the necessity for serious fight against terrorism and supports efforts to resolve the country’s crisis through a political process based on popular vote and without any foreign interference.
During the phone call, the Russian deputy minister described Iran’s role in helping to resolve the Syrian conflicts as “fundamental”, saying that the Islamic Republic should participate in the next round of Vienna talks about Syria.
The first round of meetings on Syria was held in Vienna on October 30. Senior diplomats from a number of influential countries, including Iran, as well as envoys from the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) also attended the talks.
It was the first time that Tehran participated in the talks on Syria. Two previous conferences, known as Geneva I and Geneva II, failed to achieve anything in terms of resolving the conflict in the Arab country.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists from various groups, including the ISIL, currently controlling parts of it.
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.
Earlier 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.