Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Iranian Supreme Leader, received Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday.
Assad travelled to Tehran to offer condolences over the loss of President Ebrahim Raeisi and his companions in a helicopter crash.
Ayatollah Khamenei hailed Syria’s ‘distinguished identity’ in the region, saying it is owed to the Syrian nation’s resistance.
He added: ‘Syria’s special position in the region is distinguished because of this identity, and this important feature must be preserved.
The distinguished identity of Syria, which is the resistance, was formed during the late Hafez Assad’s era with the founding of the resistance front and standing against the West, the Leader said.
‘This identity has always contributed to the national unity of Syria,’ he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei also praised President Assad for his firm stand, saying ‘everyone should see the special privilege of the Syrian government, that is, resistance, in front of their eyes’.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the pro-imperialist countries like the United States, UK and France and their acolytes in the region tried to overthrow Syria’s political system and remove it from the regional equations through the war they waged against the country, but they did not succeed.
He continued: ‘Now they want to use other methods, including promises that they never fulfil, in order to take Syria out of the regional equations.’
Khamenei touched on the political and economic pressures of the US and the Europeans on Iran and Syria, saying the two nations must overcome the situation by increasing their cooperation and regularising it.
He also touched on the efforts of President Raeisi to increase cooperation between Iran and Syria in various fields.
He continued: ‘Now Mohammad Mokhbar, having the powers of the president, continues the same approach and we hope that all affairs will proceed in the best possible way referring to acting President Mohammad Mokhber.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister, Dr Fayssal Mikdad and the accompanying delegation participated Thursday in the 10th session of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held in Beijing.
In his speech, Minister Mikdad underlined that choosing cooperation as a base to boosting Chinese-Arab relations opens great prospects between our countries, noting that President Bashar al-Assad’s important visit to China several months ago was an opportunity to bolstering relations between the two countries in all fields.
Mikdad noted that political and economic partnership between Arab countries and China seeks to improve living conditions and uplift the level of development, underscoring the need to boost cooperation on the basis of respect and friendship.
Minister Mikdad asserted that addressing crises and confronting common challenges is the only way to achieve political and economic stability.
He touched on the terrorist war that Syria has been exposed to and the Syrian people standing with their leadership, indicating that this terrorist campaign did not affect the Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity at all.
He went on saying that Syria has stood against policies of intervention, since they escalated tension among Arab countries, adding that the Zionist entity is acting terrorism policy against Arab people in Palestine and occupied Syrian Golan.
Mikdad hailed China’s stance in support of Arab countries, asserting Syria’s appreciation for the initiatives presented by President Xi Jinping over recent years.
He noted that Syria has stressed on Chinese territorial integrity as it is considered a superpower and a responsible member of the Security Council, underscoring the necessity of opening new horizons that uplift cooperation level between Arab countries and China.
Elsewhere, Dr Idris Maya, the Syrian Ambassador to Muscat, discussed on Wednesday with Lieutenant General Sultan bin Mohammed Al Numani, Minister of the Royal Office in the Sultanate of Oman, the relationship between the Sultanate of Oman and the Syrian Arab Republic.
The meeting dealt with the ways of enhancing joint cooperation between the two brotherly countries.
The meeting was attended by Siraj Saqr, Director of Public Relations at the Embassy.
Speaking on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry underlined that Western countries, instead of working to resolve the crisis in Syria, are plundering Syrian resources and preventing the displaced from returning to their homes.
Commenting on the Brussels conference on Syria, which was held on May 27th, the statement said: ‘Washington and its allies who are illegally occupying areas in Syrian al-Jazeera region are involved in plundering Syrian natural resources, including oil and grains. They do not care about civilians in camps which are in very bad conditions, such as al Hol and Roj camps.
‘Washington and Brussels not only refuse to help those who wish to return, but also obstruct the implementation of early restoration projects for civilian infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, water and electricity supply facilities, and residential buildings, which is of key importance for safety and dignified returns.
‘The statements of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, about commitment to a comprehensive political settlement in Syria, with the help of the United Nations, appear hypocritical, as the European governments do not care to advance the political process led and implemented by the Syrians themselves.
‘Representatives of the legitimate government in Syria are not invited to meetings and conferences related to their country, and now Russia is also not invited, and without these parties, no serious talk can take place about a solution to the crisis in Syria.’
- A child was killed and ten civilians were injured as a result of an Israeli aggression that targeted a site in the central region and a residential building in the city of Baniyas in Tartous Governorate on Wednesday.
A Syrian army statement said: ‘At approximately 19:30 this evening, the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of Lebanese territory, targeting a site in the central region and a residential building in the city of Baniyas in the coastal region.’
Yury Popov, deputy chief of the Russian Centre for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria said: ‘Aircraft of the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the United States continues to create a dangerous situation that may cause air accident or incidents and escalate the situation in Syria’s airspace.
‘Two pairs of the coalition’s F-15 fighter jets, a pair of A-10 Thunderbolt attack bombers, as well as an MQ-9 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles violated Syria’s airspace in the al-Tanf area, across which international air routes run, seven times during the day.’
On Tuesday, the Syrian Minister of Health, Dr. Hassan Al-Ghabbash, called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support Syria to lift sanctions imposed on it, address the reduction in humanitarian funding received, and seek to continue providing support on healthcare.
In his statement, Al-Ghabbash explained that: ‘Despite the support of the WHO it must be noted that Syria’s lack of resources is not only affecting health but also negatively affecting the economic and social situation as a whole and that the war on it more than thirteen years has been a big blow to the country.’
