Iranian FM holds talks with his Syrian counterpart

During today's meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian and his Syrian counterpart Faisal Meqdad, various bilateral, regional and international issues were discussed.

During today's meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian and his Syrian counterpart Faisal Meqdad, various bilateral, regional and international issues were discussed.
Amir Abdollahian referred to strategic ties between Iran and Syria and underlined the need for special focus on promoting economic and trade relations. He said the exchange of various delegations at high levels over the past few months, the opening of the first trade center of the Islamic Republic of Iran abroad in Damascus and the holding of the Iran Trade Fair in Syria last week, which happened when Iran’s Minister of Industries, Mines and Commerce was visiting Syria, show the Islamic Republic’s determination to expand bilateral ties in all areas.
While condemning the Zionist regime's aggression against Syria, the Iranian foreign minister described the military presence of foreign forces without coordination with and permission from the Syrian government as a source of insecurity in the region, particularly in Syria.
Amir Abdollahian also called the Astana mechanism the only effective current structure for the political settlement of issues imposed on Syria and reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to host the Astana summit in Tehran next year. The Iranian foreign minister also underlined that the reconstruction of Syria and the return of refugees are part of the political solution to this country’s crisis and emphasized the need for preserving Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Amir Abdollhian welcomed some Arab and Western countries’ move to correct their policy on Syria. He however described the normalization of ties between a few Arab states and the Zionist regime as a strategic mistake and detrimental to regional peace and stability. The foreign minister also referred to the excellent agreements reached during this visit by Meqdad and his own previous trips to Damascus and the preparation of necessary arrangements, describing the agreement of the two sides to arrange a meeting between the two presidents in the near future as a long step forward in giving momentum to bilateral relations more than ever before. Amir Abdollahian and Meqdad also agreed to hold a joint commission for economic cooperation in the near future in Damascus with Iran’s minister of roads and urban development in attendance as the Iranian head of the commission.
During the meeting, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad also thanked Tehran for its support of the Syrian people and government, and noted the key importance of relations between Damascus and Tehran. Meqdad called the meeting of the two presidents a turning point in bilateral ties and said that the meeting will take place once necessary preparations are put in place.
The top Syrian diplomat then briefed Amir Abdollahian on the latest on-the-ground and political situation in Syria. He called Israel’s continued aggression against Syria and also the illegal military presence of the US there as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the main source of insecurity and economic pressure on the nation. He underscored that the Syrian people will foil these conspiracies with their all-out resistance. Meqdad stressed that US sanctions against Syria and Iran, in breach of all humanitarian rules, have targeted the people of both countries.
He also reviewed joint economic projects, saying the level of economic relations is not commensurate with the strategic relations between the two countries. Meqdad added that Damascus is ready for full cooperation with Tehran to improve these ties.
Referring to the high quality of Iranian goods and the technical ability and excellent knowledge of Iranian companies, he called for continued contacts between the private and public sectors of the two countries.
At the meeting, the two top diplomats underlined the need for preparing a comprehensive strategic plan for long-term relations and decided that expert groups of the two sides should focus on this issue.