DAMASCUS (Dispatches) -- Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami here Sunday met top Syrian leaders, including President Bashar al-Assad, hailing their strong ties and pledging to play a role in the war-torn country’s reconstruction.
Tehran has provided steady political, financial, and military advisory assistance to Syria as the country has fought back a foreign-backed militancy for seven years.
Hatami arrived in Syria for a two-day visit and met his Syrian counterpart Abdullah Ayoub.
"Syria is in a very, very important juncture. It is passing through the critical stage and it is entering the very important stage of reconstruction,” the Iranian defense minister said.
He said it was agreed with Syria that Iran would have "presence, participation and assistance” in reconstruction "and no third party will be influential in this issue.”
Hatami said he hopes Iran can play a "productive role” in Syria’s reconstruction. The two sides were expected to sign agreements to expand military and defense cooperation.
Since it erupted in 2011, Syria’s war has cost it approximately $388 billion (334 billion euros), according to the United Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
Assad last month said reconstruction was his "top priority” in Syria, where more than 350,000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes in the face of ferocious war waged by Takfiri terrorists and foreign-backed militants.
Ayoub, in comments carried by Syrian state media, championed the two countries’ special relationship.
"Syrian-Iranian relations are a model for bilateral ties between independent and sovereign nations,” he said.
Hatami congratulated Syria on its victories in the battle against terrorists, hailing them as a turning point in "the axis of resistance's regional cooperation".
"Not only the people of the region, but the people of the world, are indebted to the fighting that took place in Syria against the terrorists,” the minister told President Assad.
The Syrian president described relations between Tehran and Damascus as firm and stable, saying "all the rumors about the relations between the two countries will not have any effect on our strong ties that have been established since the Islamic Revolution.”
Hatami’s visit follows Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Muhammad Baqeri's trip to Syria last October.
The two countries have had strong strategic ties for years. Syria was the only Arab country that supported Iran during the Iraqi-imposed war in 1980s.
At the request of Damascus, Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to the Syrian government forces which are fighting an all-out foreign-sponsored militancy.
Iran's military presence in Syria, however, is a thorn in the side of Israel. On April 9, an Israeli airstrike against the T-4 airbase in Syria’s Homs Province killed more than a dozen people, including seven Iranian military advisers.
Tel Aviv wants Syria to ask Iranian advisers to leave the country and dismantle what it claims to be Iranian military bases.
In an interview with the al-Alam News Network in June, Assad said Iran does not have any military bases in Syria, but if there is "a need for Iranian military bases, we will not hesitate."
Assad said Damascus had invited Iran and Russia to Syria, unlike the American, French, Turkish and Israeli troops who are occupying forces.
The Syrian army is reportedly preparing for a major battle to drive out terrorists from their last stronghold in Idlib.
"Idlib will return to the nation’s bosom, and all Syrian soil will be cleansed of terrorism, either through reconciliation or ground operations,” Ayoub said.
He also slammed the United States, which has established military bases in Syria. "The Americans are looking for a way to stay east of the Euphrates River to lock in their presence in this region,” said Ayoub.