AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has met with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in the capital Damascus.
The two sides discussed a wide range of issues during the meeting on Tuesday, including the crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip as well as the need to end the crimes of Israel against the Palestinian people.
Bagheri Kani is in Syria on the second leg of his regional tour after visiting Lebanon. The Iranian minister earlier said one of the main goals of his regional tour is to boost synergy among resistance groups in their confrontation with Israel.
Bagheri Kani said the relation binding the two countries will remain deeply rooted and strategic as they have always been based on firm principles and common interests.
During the talks, Assad reiterated that resisting the occupation in all its forms is a fundamental principle and a strategic choice as the resistance has always been the right track in confronting the occupiers.
“Whenever the occupation approaches its failure in the face of the steadfastness of resistance, it intensifies its bloody violence,” the Syrian president said.
Earlier in the day, the top Iranian diplomat said Israel is the root cause of instability in the region.
He made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad.
"My trip carries the message that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as in the past, stands by the resistance and against the Zionists," Bagheri Kani said.
He said Iran and Syria are close allies and are considered the main pillars of stability and security in the region.
"Iran and Syria are proud to have cooperated for more than four decades and they know that the cause of instability in the region is the occupation and the Zionist regime," Bagheri said.
The Iranian minister placed a premium on the continuation of strategic relations between the two countries.
He said Iran stands by Syria in the fight against terrorism.
Mekdad, for his part, said Syria will continue supporting resistance groups in the region.
"During the visit of the martyred president of Iran (Ebrahim Raeisi) to Syria, we emphasized strengthening the relations between the two countries," the top Syrian diplomat said.
"These relations are strategic. Therefore, we insist on deepening the relations between Iran and Syria, as well as connecting other Arab countries, and we have declared our readiness for this path to continue."
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