Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA – President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday received Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani and the accompanying delegation.
Talks during the meeting touched on the strong relations between Syria and Iran and the importance of maintaining and bolstering the standing strategic cooperation between them, as this cooperation forms the basis for defending the interests of the people of the two countries and the entire region and confronting the challenges facing it, first among which is the menace of the spread of Takfiri terrorism, which now threatens all countries near and far.
The two sides asserted that combating terrorism must be carried out according to international law, and that success in this regard requires unifying the efforts of the international community and cooperating with the countries in the region that are waging a war against this looming threat.
They also affirmed that combating terrorism requires abandoning the policies of double standards that are still being employed by the West and particularly by the United States, as these policies seek to implement covert agendas that do not serve the interests of the region’s people.
President al-Assad stressed that confronting the Takfiri extremist mentality spread by terrorists and nurtured by some countries in the region is no less important than fighting the terrorists who commit acts of murder, wreak havoc, and destroy the historic and cultural heritage of people wherever they go.
“Combating terrorism cannot be carried out by states that contributed to establishing terrorist organizations, provided them with logistic and material support, and spread terrorism around the world,” President al-Assad added.
For his part, Shamkhani reiterated Iran’s firm support for Syria and its people in their war on terrorism, expressing his country’s rejection of anything that threatens the unity and territorial integrity of Syria or violates its national sovereignty.
In the same context, Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi discussed with Shamkhani the prospects of bilateral cooperation in various economic and commercial fields to alleviate the effects of the unjust economic embargo imposed on the Syrian people.
Premier al-Halaqi stressed the need to actualize the Iranian credit line to facilitate the flow of Iranian goods into Syrian markets and provide these markets’ needs in terms of supplies, consumer products, and pharmaceuticals.
He also called on Iranian companies to invest and establish development projects in Syria.
Shamkhani: Iran rejects any foreign intervention in the affairs of region
Shamkhani affirmed that his country rejects any foreign intervention in the region’s affairs, describing the airstrikes of the international coalition as illogical and unacceptable acts which violate the states’ sovereignty.
“The international coalition to combat terrorism has no legitimacy as it had facilitated the political space for the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham (Isis) terrorist organization to work through,” Shamkhani said at a press conference , pointing out that the process of the coalition is “amputated.”
He added that Syria and Iran have agreed to reject the coalition’s intervention, affirming that his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad has lasted for three hours, during which “an expanded reading on the situation in the region has been done.”
Shamkhani said the two sides agreed that there are not different visions in this regard and they had joint attitudes on the events in the region.
On Iran’s stance in case the coalition held an aggression on sites for the Syrian Army or it established “a buffer zone”, Shamkhani affirmed that Iran would continue its work it has been doing during 3 years, and it will take an appropriate stance when this supposition takes place.
Shamkhani said Iran refused to take part in the so-called “international coalition” against terrorism because it is a media propaganda aimed at distorting the will of the peoples that want to fight terrorism.
He stressed that Iran supports security and stability in Syria and Lebanon and this issue is of top priority for Tehran, adding that the scheme against Syria has hit a dead end.
On whether the former chairman of the “Opposition Coalition” has contacted the Iranian government to make an initiative that leads to a political solution in Syria, Shamkhani said that any side can ask for opening channels with the Syrian government through Iran, but it is the Syrian government and people alone who decide the destiny of Syria.
He highlighted that the peoples of the region have been firm in fighting terrorism at a time when the West has moved only when a western journalist was slaughtered.
Shamkhani said the issue of countering terrorism is not very complicated or difficult, adding that the Zionist Entity is the source of terrorism in the region, and thus, the side that wants to counter terrorism should know where to move.
The Iranian top official said Tehran has been supporting Syria for more than 3 years and will continue providing this support, adding that Iran believes that the peoples of the region will determine its future, not the powers that came from abroad.
Hazem Sabbagh/ M.Nasr/Mazen
