Iran, Syria Weigh Plans to Boost Economic Ties

In a meeting in Damascus on Thursday evening, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad talked about the expansion of economic and trade relations between the two nations.

They also weighed plans to convene a meeting of Iran-Syria Economic Cooperation Joint Commission in the near future and discussed the ways for closer interaction in the fields relating to the transportation industry, technical and engineering services, and stronger trade exchanges.

The Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers also agreed on plans for the exchange of experiences and joint training courses between the rescue and relief institutions of the two countries.

Expressing sympathy with Syria over the recent devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian underlined the need for the immediate removal of the unilateral and illegal Western sanctions against Syria.

The Iranian foreign minister also hailed the thaw in relations between Syria and the Arab governments in the wake of the major earthquake as a positive step towards Islamic unity and a realistic measure.

Amirabdollahian noted that Syria owes its current position in the region and the Arab world to its resistance against the proxy terrorists.

He finally condemned in the strongest terms the Zionist regime’s military attacks against the civilian targets and infrastructures of Syria, while the Arab country was looking for humanitarian and relief aids following the earthquake, adding that such strikes lay bare the aggressive and anti-human nature of the racist Israeli regime.

For his part, the Syrian foreign minister lauded Iran for expressing solidarity with his nation after the quake, stressing that Damascus pursues the policy of cooperation and honest friendship with Tehran.

Foreign Minister Mekdad also praised the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s efforts to fulfill the common goals and interests of the two countries in the international organizations.