Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on Monday for the immediate pull out of “the occupying military forces” from Syrian soil.
He made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran earlier in the day.
The Iranian FM said that immediate pullout of foreign forces from Syria will be highly conducive to stability and security in the region, also emphasizing that peace and security will be guaranteed only in the absence of foreign forces' interference.
Mekdad, for his part, said Syria is satisfied with the developments in the region.
“Active diplomacy at the Iranian level predicts well for people of the region,” he noted.
The Syrian foreign minister said he discussed with his Iranian counterpart the destructive role of the US and its direct occupation in northwest Syria.
He stressed that Syria wants the US forces and those of the US-led international coalition to leave its territory.
Also, Mekdad said his country supports all initiatives for the return of Syrian refugees, but Western countries impede that goal under the pretext that conditions are not suitable.
He also stressed that there is no hostility with the Turkish people, but added, “We want the departure of any illegal foreign force from our land.”
The Syrian foreign minister said the Turkish army occupies part of the Syrian land in the north, noting that since 2011, 300,000 to 400,000 of those he described as “terrorists” have entered Syria.
Meanwhile, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash announced on Monday that Iran and Syria have eliminated bilateral trade tariffs, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The Syrian foreign minister arrived in Tehran Sunday, along with the communications and technology minister and economy and trade minister, to follow up on the implementation of the bilateral agreements signed during the visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Damascus in early May.
The visit of the Syrian delegation to Tehran comes amid reports saying Iran plans to establish an Iranian free zone in central Syria to meet Iranian investments and to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.
