President Bashar al-Assad received Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and the accompanying delegation on Saturday.
During the talks, the two sides affirmed the close and historical relations between the two countries and the existing bilateral cooperation in various fields.
President al-Assad stressed that Damascus is keen on continuous communication and coordination of positions with Iran on a permanent basis, especially since the Islamic Republic of Iran was one of the first countries to stand by the Syrian people in their war against terrorism.
The President added that this coordination is of the utmost importance at this particular time which is witnessing accelerated regional and international developments to achieve the common interests of the two countries.
Minister Abdollahian considered Syria an important and influential country, and therefore the strength and development of Syria is a strength and development for the region in general and for Iran in particular.
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Abdollahian underlined that Iran has full confidence in the Syrian stances and decisions, and it believes that any dialogue between Syria and Turkey, if serious, is a positive step for the benefit of both countries and the region.
The meeting also touched upon the talks held by the Iranian Foreign Minister with the various sides at the “Baghdad 2” conference that was held in Amman late last month, as well as the ongoing discussions for the resumption of talks related to the Iranian nuclear file.
In the same context, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Fayssal Mikdad met Abdullahian as they reviewed the cooperation relations between the two countries in various fields and ways to boost them, and affirming the continuous follow-up of the implementation of the agreements signed between the two sides.
“We cannot talk about resuming normal ties with Turkey without removing the occupation,” Mikdad said after meeting his Iranian counterpart in Damascus.
Mikdad said on Saturday, “a meeting between Assad and the Turkish leadership depends on removing the reasons for the dispute,” without providing more details or mentioning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by name.
COMMENT FROM THE OBSERVER
A source with close knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters that Syria wanted Turkey to pull its troops to the north and to halt support to three main opposition factions.
The source said the Syrian regime was keen to see progress on those demands through follow-up committees before agreeing to a foreign ministers’ meeting.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
