Iran to stand by Syria in anti-terror campaign: Larijani

In a meeting with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad in Tehran on Tuesday, Larijani hailed the resistance of the Syrian nation against terrorism.
 
“The Syrian nation is a resistant nation which has, through perseverance and resistance, managed to leave behind critical and sensitive conditions,” Larijani said.
 
The top Iranian parliamentarian said that a bright prospect is ahead of the Syrian nation, expressing hope that the Arab country could find peace and security as soon as possible. 
 
Mekdad, for his part, said Iran and Syria have very close views on regional and international issues, expressing hope that other countries in the region would keep up battling terrorism.
 
The Syrian official further hailed Iran’s support for the Syrian nation and government in the face of militancy in the Arab country.
 
Also on Tuesday, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, held talks with Mekdad and praised the Syrians’ victory in the “mini-world war” waged by foreign parties in the Arab country.
 
Velayati said the region could have faced a different situation had Iran, Syria, Iraq and Hezbollah failed to cooperate with each other.
 
The meetings come as a new round of UN-mediated peace talks between the Syrian government and foreign-backed opposition groups started on Monday. Negotiations are expected to end by March 24.
 
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
 
Saudi Arabia and Turkey have widely been blamed for the surge in the deadly militancy in Syria as they have been supporting militants with funds, training and weapons.