TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iran and Russia on Monday pledged to support Syrian armed forces in their fight against foreign-backed terrorists as the Russian president’s special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev visited Tehran.
Iran’s Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said the common goals of the two countries are to support the Syrian government and help it combat terrorism, preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and use political mechanisms to let the Syrians determine the future of their country.
Lavrentiev travelled here on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to report on the results of a recent summit in Istanbul by the leaders of Russia, Turkey, France and Germany.
Ankara, which supports militants seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow recently brokered a deal to create a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib region.
Shamkhani hailed Russia’s deployment of the S-300 missile defense system to Syria after the downing of a Russian aircraft during an aerial operation attack on the Arab country by Israeli warplanes.
The Iranian official said the level of cooperation between Iran and Russia shows the Zionist regime’s negative role in Syria has not impacted their joint efforts.
Lavrentiev hailed the constructive role which Iran is playing in the political process and peace in Syria.
Russia, he said, is interested in continuing its cooperation with Iran on restoring security and peace to Syria.
The official also said the two countries’ priority is to cleanse the rest of Syria, especially Idlib, from terrorists.