Iran, Russia to keep supporting Syrian forces
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on Monday that Tehran and Moscow will continue their support for Syrian forces and described the Russian deployment of S-300 missile system in Syria as “an appropriate action”.
“Iran and Russia will continue to support Syrian armed forces in fight against terrorism and will actively pursue political trends within the framework of the existing coalition,” Ali Shamkhani said, ISNA reported.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Russian President’s Special Envoy for Syrian Affairs Alexander Lavrentiev in Tehran.
The Russian envoy said he has traveled to Iran on President Vladimir Putin’s orders for a twin mission: to give a report on a recent four-party meeting of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France on the situation in Syria that was recently held in Istanbul, and to voice Moscow’s unequivocal support for Iran against the fresh round of US sanctions.
Shamkhani praised the interaction between Tehran and Moscow in Syria, saying the two sides’ cooperation has been based on “three strategic and unchangeable principles”.
“Supporting the legal Syrian government and cooperation with it in its fight against terrorism, preserving the Syrian territorial integrity, and preparing the ground for political mechanisms that will help the Syrian people decide their future are the goals of Iran and Russia in Syria,” Shamkhani said. Shamkhani also hailed Russia’s decision to supply Syria with S-300, an advanced air defense missile system, calling it “an appropriate action that shows the negative actions of the Israeli regime has no impact on (Iran-russia) cooperation in Syria.”
Moscow said last month that it would bolster Syria’s air defense following the downing of a Russian plane. For his part, Lavrentiev hailed Iran’s constructive role in contributing to the political settlement of crisis in Syria.