Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, upon his arrival at Damascus International Airport today, confirmed that the purpose of his visit is "to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries and regional and international issues of mutual interest."
During the day, Abdollahian met with Prime Minister Hussein Arnous, where they discussed mechanisms for following up on the implementation of agreements and understandings reached during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Syria and his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. They also explored ways to strengthen bilateral relations across various fields to achieve mutual interests for both countries and their friendly peoples.
Several joint projects in finance, banking, energy, oil derivatives, telecommunications, industry, and tourism were reviewed. They discussed the steps taken to facilitate joint work, alleviate challenges, enhance the role of the business sector in both countries, increase bilateral trade exchanges, and raise growth rates in this area to benefit the economies of both nations.
The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized his country's desire to expand areas of joint cooperation within the framework of the long-term cooperation document signed between the two sides, and the necessity of making every effort to follow up on implementing bilateral agreements. He also highlighted the importance of cooperation in energy sectors and using national currencies in trade dealings and commodity exchanges while reiterating Iran's ongoing support for Syria in facing the economic blockade it is subjected to.
Arnous pointed out the difficulties facing the Syrian economy due to the unjust blockade and the control of occupation and its affiliated militias over national oil and agricultural resources in northeastern Syria. He mentioned the government's measures to operate various sectors, increase production, and meet the needs of the Syrian people, expressing appreciation and gratitude to Iran's leadership, government, and people for their support in various fields.
Meanwhile, during his meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad confirmed they discussed bilateral relations and the follow-up on agreements signed during the Iranian President's visit to Damascus.
Mekdad added in a joint press conference held in Damascus today that "challenges facing our countries were discussed." He stated, "We reviewed the situation in Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan, confirming the importance of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and the residents of the Golan, and the inevitability of their victory."
He also stressed the necessity of the complete withdrawal of Turkish forces from all Syrian territories to restore relations to normalcy. For his part, Abdollahian noted an agreement to hold meetings of the Iranian-Syrian joint committee, chaired by the Iranian Vice President and the Syrian Prime Minister, in Tehran soon.
He condemned "Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, the latest of which was on Aleppo Airport," asserting that "there will be no attack by the entity that goes unanswered." He added that they discussed the continuation of combating terrorism and the presence of illegal American forces on Syrian territory under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
Regarding Syrian-Turkish relations, Abdollahian stated, "Establishing relations between Syria and Turkey based on good neighborliness and respect for Syria's sovereignty creates a positive atmosphere in the region." He reiterated Iran's continued support for Syria.
