Iran Welcomes Normalization of Ties between Regional States, Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The foreign minister of Iran said Tehran welcomes the process of de-escalation in the relations between Syria and the regional countries, calling for the settlement of all conflicts through dialogue and peaceful political solutions.
During his visit to Damascus on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian held a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for talks about various issues, such as the mutual cooperation and the regional and international developments.
Congratulating President Assad on Syria’s political and field successes, Amirabdollahian reaffirmed Iran’s continued support for the government and people of Syria.
The top Iranian diplomat said a new chapter has begun in the bilateral relations in the realm of economic and trade cooperation, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
Amirabdollahian added that the expansion of economic cooperation between Iran and Syria is seriously on the agenda of bilateral relations, as Tehran and Damascus are considering the ways to ease transportation and transit between the two nations.
He also welcomed the trend of normalization of ties between the regional countries and Syria.
Amirabdollahian further referred to the common views of Iran and Syria about many regional and international issues, underlining that as for regional tensions, Iran opposes any war and supports resolution of disputes through dialogue and political means.
The foreign minister added that in light of this policy, Iran wants the Yemen crisis to be resolved through talks between the Yemeni factions.
Tehran believes that a change in the behavior of certain regional countries can pave the way for finding a solution to the Yemen crisis, he added.
He then pointed to the developments in Ukraine, stressing, “We oppose both war and sanctions. The Ukraine crisis can only be resolved through political means.”
On the Vienna talks on the revival of the JCPOA, Amirabdollahian said Iran and the other parties to the negotiations are close to a deal.
Despite their claim that they are interested in the settlement of disputes and reaching a deal, the Americans must show their good will in practice, he stated.
For his part, the Syrian president referred to the dramatic developments in the region, saying after the US’ defeat in Afghanistan, and especially after the developments in Ukraine, it has become clear that Washington and NATO could not advance their agenda in the world.
Therefore, he added, regional countries are after new alliances as a replacement for the US’ support.
Assad then deplored the double standards on the part of some countries which have not taken any stance on the Zionist regime’s attacks against Syria and have remained silent in this regard.
The Syrian president rejected as baseless the US officials’ claim that Washington has good will, describing Iran's stances on the Vienna talks as wise and sound.
President Assad then said that the visit by a group of Iranian Sunni Muslim scholars to Syria has an important meaning, and asked Amirabdollahian to convey the greetings of the Syrian government and people to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
In the meeting, the top Iranian diplomat and the Syrian president also talked about the developments in Palestine and some other bilateral, regional and international issues.
