Envoy Hails Iran-Russia Cooperation in Anti-Terror Campaign in Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei stressed the growing ties between Tehran and Moscow in various areas over the past years, saying that the two countries’ close cooperation is particularly manifested in the anti-terrorism campaign in war-hit Syria.
The expansion of Iran-Russia relations over the past three years is seen as part of the positive outcomes of re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin (in 2012) and the election of his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani (in 2013), Sanaei said in a speech in Volgograd, southwest Russia.
The Iranian diplomat said the two presidents have “effective and extensive interaction” with each other, adding that numerous agreements and documents have been signed between the two countries in various spheres in recent years.
“The manifestation of the (growing) relations is (particularly seen) in Syria, where both countries have a close cooperation in the fight against terrorism,” he noted.
Sanaei further pointed to the origins of terrorism in the Middle East region, saying that the phenomenon has its roots in the “unfair intervention” of some Western countries in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq, where the situation got worse after the intervention.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
In the meantime, Iran and Russia have remained close allies of Syria and support its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.