Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA- Syrian-Iranian relations are strategic, and they will be crowned during the next few days and weeks with aspects that show their depth and the belief of the two countries in the necessity of developing them in various fields, in a way that serves the interest of the two friendly peoples, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad said.
Mikdad’s remarks came during a press conference held Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Hussein Amir Abdollahian, after their talks at the building of the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry.
“This visit comes in light of new developments in the region, where the two countries face constant challenges from Western countries, on top of which is the United States and the Zionist racist entity and their agents who do not want the Syrian people to go through a comfortable phase,” Minister Mikdad said.
Mikdad thanked Iran for developing its relations with Syria in various political and economic fields, affirming that the relations between the two countries are strategic.
Mikdad added “We meet in order to strengthen bilateral relations and remove any obstacles facing the public and private sectors in the two brotherly countries, with the aim of laying a permanent and continuous path for the development of economic relations.”
In response to a question about the possibility of holding a meeting between the Syrian and Turkish leaderships, Mikdad said: “I confirm that the relations between Syria and Turkey before 2011 were normal relations based on good-neighborly policies and concern for the common interests of the two countries, and we, in all our movements since that date until this moment, strive and make every possible effort to end terrorism, which disturbed the peace of these relations and stopped them, and led to the destruction of the infrastructure and health and educational institutions in Syria.”
Mikdad added “Therefore, the meeting between President Bashar al-Assad and the Turkish leadership depends on removing the reasons that led to this situation and the differences that replaced the consensus on which the Syrian-Turkish relations were previously built. In this context, a meeting of the defense ministers of Syria, Russia and Turkey took place in Moscow.”
He stressed that a suitable environment must be created for meetings at higher levels if necessary, and that any political meetings must be built on specific foundations that respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the presence of the armed forces as a real guarantor of the Syrian and neighboring lands, and this is the thing that determines the possibility of holding such meetings.
The Foreign Minister expressed Syria’s appreciation for the efforts made by Iran to reform relations between Syria and Turkey, noting that the Turkish military presence on the Syrian soil and the support provided by the Turkish side to some armed organizations hindered these efforts.
The existing coordination between Syria and Iran within the framework of Astana and within the framework of international organizations and at various levels and at all international forums proves that Iran always stands with truth and with the principles it has established in its foreign policy, Mikdad said.
He added that the repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian lands, including the civilian airports in Damascus, Aleppo and the port of Lattakia, with the support of some international powers, will not go without response, which is guaranteed by international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Mikdad pointed out that the situation in the Palestinian arena was discussed at length, and the position of the two countries in support of the Palestinian people and their condemnation of the Israeli occupation’s attacks and continuous crimes were emphasized.
For his part, , the Iranian Foreign Minister said: “During the meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, we touched on important bilateral issues and strategic, regional and international issues, and his Excellency affirmed his invitation to His Excellency President Ibrahim Raisi to pay a visit to Damascus.”
Abdollahian stressed that the relations between Iran and Syria are at their best, and that the leaderships of the two countries are determined to expand these relations, especially in the economic and trade fields, in order to reach the level of distinguished political relations.
Abdollahian added that cooperation between the two countries continues in all fields, especially in the field of energy, as talks were held at the level of energy ministers regarding the establishment of power stations in Syria.
He pointed to the signing of several documents between the two countries that are currently being implemented, and the agreement to renew the long-term strategic cooperation document between the two countries for signing it in the near future.
With regard to the Syrian-Turkish relations, Abdollahian said: “Syria and Turkey are important countries in the region, and Tehran has distinguished and good relations with both of them, and when there were threats of Turkish military attacks against northern Syria, we worked to prevent that, and we are happy that the diplomatic efforts we made led to dialogue taking the place of war.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister affirmed the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and Iran’s continuation of its diplomatic efforts for rapprochement and a solution to the outstanding problems between Syria and Turkey.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
